Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Korean version of Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) on a sample of Korean youths and to examine the cross-cultural differences in adolescents’ anxiety.MethodsOur study included 147 adolescents (ages 12–17, 92 girls), 93 with major depressive disorder and 54 as controls. Participants were evaluated using the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), SCARED, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Disruptive Behavioral Disorder Scale (DBD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (ADHD-RS). Pearson’s r and Cronbach’s α values of the SCARED were calculated, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted.ResultsThe Korean SCARED scores were correlated with the total anxiety scores of K-SADS-PL (r = 0.74) and the CBCL anxious/depressed subscale scores (r = 0.35). Results showed a five-factor structure with good internal consistency, in which some items were loaded on different factors compared to previous studies.ConclusionsThe Korean SCARED demonstrated promising psychometric properties, and could be a valid scale for screening anxiety symptoms in primary care. The fact that different items comprised the factors may reflect the cultural difference between United States and Korea in experiencing anxiety.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Korean version of Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) on a sample of Korean youths and to examine the crosscultural differences in adolescents’ anxiety
Major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnoses were made using the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for SchoolAge Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADSPL) [7, 28, 29], which is based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th Edition (DSM-5) [30] criteria
Post hoc analyses revealed that Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) anxious/depressed, CBCL externalizing scales, ADHD and conduct disorder (CD) scores differed significantly between the depression only (D only) and control groups, but not between the A + D and D only groups (Table 1)
Summary
The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Korean version of Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) on a sample of Korean youths and to examine the crosscultural differences in adolescents’ anxiety. In Korean children and adolescents aged 6 to 18, the one-year prevalence rate of anxiety disorder was 11.7% [2]. Another study of Korean children aged 6 to 12 showed that the past-year prevalence of anxiety disorders was 10.3% [3]. Despite these high prevalence rates, anxiety disorders are often underdiagnosed and remain untreated for the following reasons: first, they are not as evident as behavioral disorders [4]; second, they are frequently comorbid with other psychiatric disorders that gain more clinical attention, such as depressive disorders and substance abuse [5, 6].
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