Psychometric Properties of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) in Cypriot Children and Adolescents

Abstract

The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) is a 38-item self-report questionnaire which measures symptoms of DSM-IV anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Greek translation of SCAS in a large community sample of children and adolescents (N=1,072), aged 12-17years, in the non-occupied territory of Cyprus. A subsample of these participants was retested 8weeks after the initial assessment. The SCAS demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha=.92) and test-retest reliability (r=.88). The SCAS total scores correlated significantly with the anxious/depressed subscale of the Youth Self-Report, the Columbia Impairment Scale, and with the emotional subscale of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed the same six-factor structure as the original SCAS. The SCAS proved to be a reliable and valid measure of anxiety symptoms in the Cypriot context.