Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders Child Version (SCARED-Child)
A child self-report screening tool for childhood anxiety disorders including panic, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social phobia, and school avoidance.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders Child Version (SCARED-Child) was developed by Birmaher, B., Khetarpal, S., Brent, D., Cully, M., Balach, L., Kaufman, J., & Neer, S. M. (1997). It is designed to measure Childhood Anxiety Disorders. The scale is intended for use with Children and adolescents aged 8-18 years.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 41 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Somatic/Panic, Generalised Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, Social Phobia, School Avoidance.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Somatic/Panic | 1,6,9,12,15,18,19,22,24,27,30,34,38 | 13 |
| Generalised Anxiety | 5,7,14,21,23,28,33,35,37 | 9 |
| Separation Anxiety | 4,8,13,16,20,25,29,31 | 8 |
| Social Phobia | 3,10,26,32,39,40,41 | 7 |
| School Avoidance | 2,11,17,36 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Not True or Hardly Ever True, 1 = Somewhat True or Sometimes True, 2 = Very True or Often True.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 82. Interpretation guidelines:
- Below clinical threshold for anxiety disorder: 0 – 24
- May indicate the presence of an anxiety disorder: 25 – 82
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Good internal consistency and discriminate validity.
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.