Psychometric properties of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale-Second Edition in Peruvian students.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale–Second Edition (RCMAS-2) among Peruvian students. The sample consisted of 472 participants aged between 7 and 18 years, of whom 250 were female (53%). Likewise, 191 were enrolled from third to sixth grade of primary school (40.5%), and 281 were registered from first to fifth grade of secondary school (59.5%). The results of the study indicated that the RCMAS-2 scores had adequate levels of reliability for all its dimensions (ordinal alpha > .70). On the other hand, a four-factor structure (Physiological anxiety, Worry/Social anxiety, Defensiveness I, and Defensiveness II) was found to be invariant to gender and schooling level. Also, convergent and discriminant validity evidence was provided. Finally, a moderate difference in Defensiveness II according to the schooling level through the latent mean structure analysis was found. Taking into account the results, it was concluded that the RCMAS-2 scores have evidence of reliability, validity, and equity for its use in Peruvian regular elementary school students.