Spence Children's Anxiety Scale
The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) is a psychological
questionnaire designed to identify symptoms of various anxiety Spence Children's Anxiety
disorders, specifically social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Scale
panic disorder/agoraphobia, and other forms of anxiety, in children Purpose identify various anxiety
and adolescents between ages 8 and 15. Developed by Susan H. disorders
Spence and available in various languages, the 45 question test can be
filled out by the child or by the parent. Alternatively, an abbreviated form of the test has been developed, with
only 19 questions. It has shown equally valid results while reducing stress and response burden in younger
participants. There is also another 34 question version of the test specialized for children in preschool between
ages 2.5 and 6.5. Any form of the test takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. The questionnaire has
shown good reliability and validity in recent studies.[1] [2]
Contents
Question breakdown, scoring, and interpretation
Domain breakdown
Interpretation of subscale scores
See also
References
Further reading
External links
Question breakdown, scoring, and interpretation
Each question on the test addresses the frequency of certain anxiety symptoms, measured on a 0-3 scale from
"never," "sometimes," often," to "always."
Domain breakdown
A maximum score of 114 is possible on the child and parent-reported SCAS, and there are six subscales
calculated within the final score. The following 38 questions correspond to the following disorders:
Separation anxiety: 5, 8, 12, 15, 16, 44
Social phobia: 6, 7, 9, 10, 29, 35
Obsessive-compulsive disorder: 14, 19, 27, 40, 41, 42
Panic disorder/agoraphobia: 13, 21, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 37, 39
Personal injury fears: 2, 18, 23, 25, 33
Generalized anxiety: 1, 3, 4, 20, 22, 24
Questions 11, 17, 26, 31, 38, 39, and 43 are filler questions that do not factor in the final or subscale scores.
Although the parent-reported and preschool SCAS have the same subscales as the child-reported SCAS,
different questions correspond to different subscales. For the parent SCAS:
Separation anxiety: 5, 8, 11, 14, 15, 38
Social phobia: 6, 7, 9, 10, 26, 31
Obsessive-compulsive disorder: 13, 17, 24, 35, 36, 37
Panic disorder/agoraphobia: 12, 19, 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34
Personal injury fears: 2, 16, 21, 23, 29
Generalized anxiety: 1, 3, 4, 18, 20, 22
The preschool SCAS has a maximum score of 112, with the following items:
Separation anxiety: 6, 12, 16, 22, 25
Social anxiety: 2, 5, 11, 15, 19, 23
Obsessive-compulsive disorder: 3, 9, 18, 21, 27
Personal injury fears: 7, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 26
Generalized anxiety: 1, 4, 8, 14, 28
Question 29 is not factored in the final or subscale scores.
Interpretation of subscale scores
The total score on the SCAS is interpreted in different ways depending on the child's age and gender. On the
child-reported SCAS for boys and girls ages 8-11, a total score of 50 +/- 10 is considered in the average range
for anxiety. A T-score of 60 and above is indicative of sub-clinical or elevated levels of anxiety. This justifies
further investigation and confirmation of diagnostic status using clinical interview. where 60 above is classified
as elevated levels of anxiety, respectively.
See also
Anxiety
Social anxiety
Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (https://sccap53.org)
EffectiveChildTherapy.Org information on fear, worry, and anxiety (http://effectivechildtherapy.or
g/concerns-symptoms-disorders/disorders/fear-worry-and-anxiety/)
References
1. Essau, CA; Muris, P; Ederer, EM (March 2002). "Reliability and validity of the Spence
Children's Anxiety Scale and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders in
German children". Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 33 (1): 1–18.
doi:10.1016/S0005-7916(02)00005-8 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0005-7916%2802%290000
5-8). PMID 12389796 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12389796).
2. Spence, SH; Barrett, PM; Turner, CM (2003). "Psychometric properties of the Spence
Children's Anxiety Scale with young adolescents". Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 17 (6): 605–
25. doi:10.1016/S0887-6185(02)00236-0 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0887-6185%2802%290
0236-0). PMID 14624814 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14624814).
Further reading
Geller, Daniel A.; March, John; AACAP Committee on Quality Issues (January 2012). "Practice
Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Obsessive-
Compulsive Disorder" (http://www.jaacap.com/article/S0890-8567(11)00882-3/fulltext). Journal
of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 51 (1): 98–113.
doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2011.09.019 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jaac.2011.09.019).
PMID 22176943 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22176943).
Connolly, Sucheta D.; Bernstein, Gail A.; Work Group on Quality Issues (February 2007).
"Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety
disorders" (http://www.jaacap.com/article/S0890-8567(09)61838-4/fulltext). Journal of the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 46 (2): 267–83.
doi:10.1097/01.chi.0000246070.23695.06 (https://doi.org/10.1097%2F01.chi.0000246070.236
95.06). PMID 17242630 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17242630).
External links
SCAS website (http://www.scaswebsite.com/1_1_.html)
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