Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS)
Assesses the severity of anxiety symptoms in children across six DSM-IV-aligned anxiety disorder domains.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) was developed by Susan H. Spence (1998). It is designed to measure Childhood Anxiety. The scale is intended for use with Children (8-12 years).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 45 items organized into 8 factors/subscales: Generalized Anxiety, Panic/Agoraphobia, Social Phobia, Separation Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Physical Injury Fears, Filler Items, Other Fear.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Generalized Anxiety | 1,3,4,10,20,22,24 | 7 |
| Panic/Agoraphobia | 13,21,28,30,32,34,36,37,39 | 9 |
| Social Phobia | 6,7,9,29,35 | 5 |
| Separation Anxiety | 5,8,12,15,16,44 | 6 |
| Obsessive Compulsive Disorder | 14,19,27,40,41,42 | 6 |
| Physical Injury Fears | 2,18,23,25,33 | 5 |
| Filler Items | 11,17,26,31,38,43 | 6 |
| Other Fear | 45 | 1 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Never, 1 = Sometimes, 2 = Often, 3 = Always.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 114. Interpretation guidelines:
- Normal Range: 0 – 59
- Elevated / Sub-clinical Anxiety (T-score >= 60): 60 – 114
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Total scale: .92, Panic-agoraphobia: .82, Separation anxiety: .70, Social phobia: .70, Physical injury fears: .60, Obsessive-compulsive: .73, Generalised anxiety: .73.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.