Screening capacity of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) for DSM-IV anxiety disorders

Abstract

The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) is a widely used self-report questionnaire for the assessment of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents. This study used receiver operating characteristic analyses to investigate the predictive value of the MASC total and scale scores for DSM-IV anxiety diagnoses in a referred sample. Eight- to 18-year-olds (n=212) were assessed with the MASC and Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children (ADIS-C). The MASC total score did not exceed the threshold for being judged as fair in predicting any ADIS-C/DSM-IV anxiety diagnosis. The Separation Anxiety scale and the Physical Symptoms scale predicted Panic Disorder (PAD) and Agoraphobia fairly accurately. The Social Anxiety scale predicted Social Phobia, and the Separation Anxiety scale predicted PAD to a moderate degree. The MASC scale Harm Avoidance did not predict any ADIS-C/DSM-IV diagnosis. These results suggest that the MASC may not be a valid screening instrument for DSM-IV diagnoses.