Early evidence of the Italian validation of the Trait Anxiety Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children

Abstract

Anxiety is one of the most widespread disorders in childhood. Researchers claim the need for a tool useful to assess the core constructs common to multiple anxiety disorders, to catch the generalized propensity to be anxious and to assess anxiety stability across the lifespan. The Trait Anxiety Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC-T) seems to fill these gaps. The present study examined STAIC-T validity in a sample of 1324 Italian children aged 8–13 years old. Scalar invariance across gender was established. Internal consistency was good. Results reported higher levels of anxiety in girls, whereas no gender differences were found. The measure demonstrated good convergent validity with the Spence Children Anxiety Scale. Findings support the validity of the STAIC-T as a brief and concise diagnostic tool to assess the anxiety proneness in Italian children.