Spence Children's Anxiety Scale

Spence Children's Anxiety Scale
Purposeidentify various anxiety disorders

The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) is a psychological questionnaire designed to identify symptoms of various anxiety disorders, specifically social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder/agoraphobia, and other forms of anxiety, in children and adolescents between ages 8 and 15. Developed by Susan H. 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]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference EsseauEtAl2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference SpenceEtAl2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).