Abstract
This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Social Worries Anxiety Index for Young children (SWAIY), adapted from the Social Worries Questionnaire—Parent version (SWQ-P; Spence, 1995), as a measure of social anxiety in young children. 169 parents of children aged four to eight years from a community sample completed the SWAIY and a standardized measure of anxiety; the SWAIY was completed again two weeks later. Parents deemed the items appropriate and relevant to children of this age. The SWAIY demonstrated excellent (>0.80) internal consistency and a one-factor model. Test-retest reliability was strong (r=0.87) and evidence of convergent validity (r>.50) was found. The study provides initial evidence for the validation of SWAIY as a measure of social anxiety in children aged four to eight years old. This questionnaire is ideal for investigating social anxiety over early childhood and the relationship between early social worries and later anxiety disorders.
Highlights
Social anxiety disorder often begins in early adolescence (Kessler et al, 2005) yet symptoms of social anxiety have been identified much earlier in childhood
The present study reports on the adaptation and validation of the Social Worries Questionnaire—Parent version (SWQ-P; Spence, 1995) into the Social Worries Anxiety Index for Young children (SWAIY), a brief parent-report measure of social anxiety that is appropriate for young children
We describe the adaptation of the SWQ-P into the Social Worries Anxiety Index for Young children (SWAIY) and assess the content validity, test-retest reliability, convergent validity and internal reliability of the new measure as well as examining the internal structure through factor analysis
Summary
Social anxiety disorder often begins in early adolescence (Kessler et al, 2005) yet symptoms of social anxiety have been identified much earlier in childhood. Social anxiety affects the wellbeing and achievements of children in the short term and in later life (Copeland, Angold, Shanahan, & Costello, 2014; Ginsburg, Silverman, & La Greca, 1998), we currently know little about the specific manifestations of social anxiety in young children or about the stability and development of social anxiety over childhood (Spence et al, 2001). Social anxiety in childhood is associated with a range of negative correlates both concurrently and prospectively. Children with social anxiety have difficulties with social competence (Ginsburg, Silverman, & La Greca, 1998; Spence, Donovan, & Brechman-Toussaint, 1999) and poorer functioning at school (Mychailyszyn, Mendez, & Kendall, 2010). Social anxiety during childhood is associated with poor mental health in adulthood (Copeland et al, 2014)
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