BACKGROUND: The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) is a widely used instrument for assessing symptoms of anxiety disorders among children and adolescents. Previous studies have demonstrated its good reliability for children and adolescents from different backgrounds. However, remarkable variability in the reliability of the SCAS across studies and inconsistent results regarding its factor structure has been found. METHODS: The present study aims to examine the SCAS factor structure by means of a systematic review with narrative synthesis, the mean reliability of the SCAS by means of a meta-analysis, and the influence of the moderators on the SCAS reliability. Databases employed to collect the studies included Scholar Google, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus since 1997. RESULTS: Twenty-nine and 32 studies, which examined the factor structure and the internal consistency of the SCAS, respectively, were included. The SCAS was found to have strong internal consistency, influenced by different moderators. The systematic review demonstrated that the original six-factor model was supported by most studies. LIMITATIONS: Factorial invariance studies (across age, gender, country) and test-retest reliability of the SCAS were not examined in this study. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the SCAS is a reliable instrument for cross-cultural use, and it is suggested that the original six-factor model is appropriate for cross-cultural application.
BACKGROUND: The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) is a widely used instrument for assessing symptoms of anxiety disorders among children and adolescents. Previous studies have demonstrated its good reliability for children and adolescents from different backgrounds. However, remarkable variability in the reliability of the SCAS across studies and inconsistent results regarding its factor structure has been found. METHODS: The present study aims to examine the SCAS factor structure by means of a systematic review with narrative synthesis, the mean reliability of the SCAS by means of a meta-analysis, and the influence of the moderators on the SCAS reliability. Databases employed to collect the studies included Scholar Google, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus since 1997. RESULTS: Twenty-nine and 32 studies, which examined the factor structure and the internal consistency of the SCAS, respectively, were included. The SCAS was found to have strong internal consistency, influenced by different moderators. The systematic review demonstrated that the original six-factor model was supported by most studies. LIMITATIONS: Factorial invariance studies (across age, gender, country) and test-retest reliability of the SCAS were not examined in this study. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the SCAS is a reliable instrument for cross-cultural use, and it is suggested that the original six-factor model is appropriate for cross-cultural application.
Authors: Jose A Piqueras; Mariola Garcia-Olcina; Maria Rivera-Riquelme; Tiscar Rodriguez-Jimenez; Agustin E Martinez-Gonzalez; Pim Cuijpers Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2017-10-05 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Tessa Reardon; Cathy Creswell; Kathryn J Lester; Kristian Arendt; Judith Blatter-Meunier; Susan M Bögels; Jonathan R I Coleman; Peter J Cooper; Einar R Heiervang; Chantal Herren; Sanne M Hogendoorn; Jennifer L Hudson; Robert Keers; Heidi J Lyneham; Carla E Marin; Maaike Nauta; Ronald M Rapee; Susanna Roberts; Silvia Schneider; Wendy K Silverman; Mikael Thastum; Kerstin Thirlwall; Gro Janne Wergeland; Thalia C Eley Journal: Psychol Assess Date: 2019-05-09
Authors: Juan Carlos Martínez-Aguayo; Renzo C Lanfranco; Marcelo Arancibia; Elisa Sepúlveda; Eva Madrid Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2018-02-09 Impact factor: 4.157