A questionnaire for screening a broad range of DSM‐defined anxiety disorder symptoms in clinically referred children and adolescents

Abstract

To examine the reliability and validity of the 66-item Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Revised (SCARED-R), a questionnaire for measuring a broad range of DSM-defined anxiety disorder symptoms, in a sample of clinically referred youths. The SCARED-R was administered to children/adolescents and their parents during the standard intake assessment. SCARED-R scores were compared against Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores, DSM-IV axis I classifications, and global assessment of functioning (GAF) ratings. In this sample of clinically referred youths, the SCARED-R was reliable in terms of internal consistency and showed reasonable child-parent agreement. Furthermore, SCARED-R scores correlated significantly with CBCL internalising but not with externalising. Within the group of children with anxiety disorders, SCARED-R scores were also negatively associated with children's daily functioning as rated on the GAF scale. Finally, SCARED-R scores had satisfactory discriminant validity (both between anxiety disorders and other problems and within anxiety disorders), and appeared to have reasonable value for predicting specific anxiety disorders. The SCARED-R is a valuable addition to the arsenal of questionnaires that are used for the assessment of anxiety in youths.