Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders – Child Version (SCARED)
A 41-item self-report screening tool designed to measure anxiety levels and screen for anxiety disorders in children.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders – Child Version (SCARED) was developed by Boris Birmaher, MD, Suneeta Khetarpal, MD, Marlane Cully, MEd, David Brent, MD, and Sandra McKenzie, PhD (1999). It is designed to measure Childhood Anxiety. The scale is intended for use with Children and adolescents (ages 8-18).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 41 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Panic/Somatic, Generalized Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, Social Anxiety, School Avoidance.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Panic/Somatic | 1,6,9,12,15,18,19,22,24,27,30,34,38 | 13 |
| Generalized Anxiety | 5,7,14,21,23,28,33,35,37 | 9 |
| Separation Anxiety | 4,8,13,16,20,25,29,31 | 8 |
| Social Anxiety | 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 (scores higher than 30 are more specific): 25 – 82
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
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.