Psychometric evaluation of two new parent-rating scales for measuring anxiety symptoms in young Dutch children

Abstract

The current study examined the reliability and validity of the Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) and the Children's Moods Fears and Worries Questionnaire (CMFWQ) in a Dutch community sample of 275 preschool children aged 2–6 years. The acceptability of PAS and CMFWQ items was good. Preliminary exploratory factor analyses yielded a meaningful five-factor model for the PAS and a three-factor model for the CMFWQ. PAS scales had moderate to high reliability coefficients (alphas between .59 and .86), whereas CMFWQ scales displayed good internal consistency (alphas between .88 and .95). The validity of both measures was supported by a number of findings. First, PAS and CMFWQ scores were substantially correlated. Particularly high correlations were found between the PAS total scale and CMFWQ fear and anxiety problems. Second, PAS and CMFWQ scores were also correlated with CBCL emotionally reactive, anxious/depressed and withdrawn subscales. Third, girls displayed significantly higher scores on the PAS scales than boys, which is in agreement with previous research. Also some age differences were found on the PAS, with older children scoring higher on the social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder subscales than younger children. Finally, CMFWQ and PAS scores discriminated reasonably between children scoring in the normal, subclinical and clinical range of the CBCL subscales. The utility of the PAS and the CMFWQ as a screening instrument for anxiety problems in preschoolers is briefly discussed.