Psychometric properties of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) in Cypriot children and adolescents

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2011 Oct;42(5):557-68. doi: 10.1007/s10578-011-0232-7.

Abstract

The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) is a 38-item self-report questionnaire which measures symptoms of DSM-IV anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Greek translation of SCAS in a large community sample of children and adolescents (N = 1,072), aged 12-17 years, in the non-occupied territory of Cyprus. A subsample of these participants was retested 8 weeks after the initial assessment. The SCAS demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha = .92) and test-retest reliability (r = .88). The SCAS total scores correlated significantly with the anxious/depressed subscale of the Youth Self-Report, the Columbia Impairment Scale, and with the emotional subscale of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed the same six-factor structure as the original SCAS. The SCAS proved to be a reliable and valid measure of anxiety symptoms in the Cypriot context.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anxiety / diagnosis*
  • Anxiety / psychology
  • Anxiety Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology
  • Child
  • Cyprus
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Self Report