Revised Fear Survey Schedule For Children Research Articles

Differential correlates of fear and anxiety in salience perception: A behavioral and ERP study with adolescents

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychopathologies among adolescents. Their diagnostic criteria include both fear and anxiety symptomatology, although according to the literature, we can find evidence for some distinction between these two emotions. The present study contribute to this distinction, exploring the effects of trait fear and trait anxiety on behavioral and neural correlates. Thirty-two participants (aged 11–16 years) performed two experimental tasks of salient target detection, including visual stimuli that were manipulated to become salient, while reaction times and EEG were recorded. Results of both tasks revealed differential effects of trait fear and trait anxiety assessed through the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised and the Youth Anxiety Measure for DSM-5 on reaction times and ERP components amplitudes. Specifically, higher symptoms from Separation Anxiety Disorder increased early neural visual processing and decreased reaction times for more salient stimuli. Also, trait fear reduced later neural visual processing of salient stimuli. These findings may provide a significant contribution to guiding psychological interventions, especially with adolescents presenting higher levels of anxiety-related symptomatology.

The Youth Anxiety Measure for DSM-5 (YAM-5): Correlations with anxiety, fear, and depression scales in non-clinical children

The Youth Anxiety Measure for DSM-5 (YAM-5) is a newly developed rating scale for assessing anxiety disorder symptoms of children and adolescents in terms of the contemporary classification system. In the present study, 187 children aged 8–12 years completed the new measure as well as the trait version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), the Short Form of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R-SF), the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS), the Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ), and the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). Results indicated that part one of the YAM-5, which measures symptoms of the major anxiety disorders, was most substantially linked with the trait anxiety scale of the STAIC, whereas part two, which measures phobic symptoms, was most clearly associated with the FSSC-R-SF. The correlation between the YAM-5 and the SCAS was also robust, and particularly strong correlations were found between subscales of both questionnaires that assessed similar symptoms. Further, the selective mutism subscale of the YAM-5 was most clearly linked to the SMQ. Finally, the YAM-5 was also significantly correlated with depression symptoms as indexed by the CDI. These findings provide further support for the concurrent validity of the YAM-5.

Can we really use available scales for child and adolescent psychopathology across cultures? A systematic review of cross-cultural measurement invariance data.

In this systematic review, we assessed available evidence for cross-cultural measurement invariance of assessment scales for child and adolescent psychopathology as an indicator of cross-cultural validity. A literature search was conducted using the Medline, PsychInfo, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Cross-cultural measurement invariance data was available for 26 scales. Based on the aggregation of the evidence from the studies under review, none of the evaluated scales have strong evidence for cross-cultural validity and suitability for cross-cultural comparison. A few of the studies showed a moderate level of measurement invariance for some scales (such as the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised, Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, and Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale), which may make them suitable in cross-cultural comparative studies. The remainder of the scales either showed weak or outright lack of measurement invariance. This review showed only limited testing for measurement invariance across cultural groups of scales for pediatric psychopathology, with evidence of cross-cultural validity for only a few scales. This study also revealed a need to improve practices of statistical analysis reporting in testing measurement invariance. Implications for future research are discussed.

Tratamiento cognitivo-conductual de fobia específica en la infancia: estudio de caso

This article presents the case of a 12-year old adolescent referred to a child and adolescent mental health centre. The patient presented with anxious traits, leading to a primary diagnosis of specific phobias, which impaired his daily living. ObjectivesTo achieve a reduction in the patient's number of concerns and psychophysiological arousal, to challenge unrealistic expectations and to eliminate avoidance and escape behaviours. AssessmentAmong others, the Spanish version of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R), were used. InterventionGroup adaptation of the Brief Coping Cat (BCC) and individual in vivo exposure. ResultsOverall anxious symptoms were reduced and the patient successfully exposed himself to his fears until anxiety completely disappeared. We highlight the importance of expectancy violation and positive stimuli techniques as change factors associated with exposure. ConclusionsThis article underscores the effectiveness of adapting the BCC to a group treatment format and the importance of optimising exposure techniques that may work for children and adolescents.

An exploratory study of fears among adolescent students from an urban cohort in India.

Normal fear is an adaptive response to a real or imagined threat. Fears occur in children and adolescents at varying levels while they negotiate different developmental phases. The present study aimed at assessing the types of fears in children and adolescents between the ages of 11 and 19 years. Age and gender based differences in these fears were also studied. The study sample consisted of 2010 adolescents from an urban setting between the ages of 11 and 19 who filled in a proforma questionnaire for socio-demographic details and also filled in the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R). Statistical analysis of the data was done along with the use of descriptive statistics. The prevalence of fears among adolescents was found to be 85.17% in the total sample. Girls reported a significantly greater number of fears (p<0.0001) and greater levels of fear (p<0.0001) than boys. Age however, did not affect the number of fears reported. Girls scored significantly higher on all the subscales of the FSSC-R. 'Failing a test' emerged as the most common fear expressed by the sample. Girls expressed a greater fear for snakes and earthquakes than boys. Girls expressed fears to a greater extent than boys and adolescents demonstrated a high level of fears in general. There is a need for further studies in this direction to elucidate the nature of fears in this population.

Fears in anxious children

IntroductionFear is a distressing emotion aroused by a risk or a damage, real or imaginary. Fears have a warning function against dangers. Nevertheless, fear can also become in one of the most limiting elements of a person's life.ObjectivesTo characterize the profile of fears presented in a sample of 19 children, aged between 8 and 13 years old, who had previously been diagnosed with one of the following: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia.Material and methodsThe sample was taken from patients who participated in a cognitive-behavioral group therapy. The Spanish version of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R) questionnaire was employed. The FSSC-R asks children to indicate on a 3-point scale (‘none’, ‘some’, ‘a lot’) how much they fear 80 specific stimuli or situations. Five basic categories of fears can be stablished: failure and criticism (17 items); the unknown (17 items); minor injury and small animals (13 items); danger and death (16 items); medical fears (5 items).ResultsThe sample includes 19 children: 12 boys (63.2%) and 7 girls (36.8%). The median age is 10.74 years. The sample shows 15 excessive fears on average (those scored as ‘a lot’). Girls show higher rates of excessive fears than boys: 19 versus 13. The most common fears were ‘being hit by a car or truck’, ‘bombing attacks. Being invaded’, ‘a burglar breaking into our house’ and ‘falling from high places’.ConclusionsMost common excessive fears belong to danger and death category. Females report more fears than males.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The French Version of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) in a Nonclinical Sample

This article investigates the psychometric properties of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS). A group of 704 adolescents completed the questionnaires in their classrooms. This study examines potential confirmatory factor analysis factor models of the RCADS as well as the relationships between the RCADS and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Revised (SCARED-R). A subsample of 595 adolescents also completed an anxiety questionnaire (Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised, FSSC-R) and a depression questionnaire (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, CES-D). Confirmatory factor analysis of the RCADS suggests that the 6-factor model reasonably fits the data. All subscales were positively intercorrelated, with rs varying between .48 (generalized anxiety disorder-major depression disorder) and .65 (generalized anxiety disorder-social phobia/obsessive-compulsive disorder). The RCADS total score and all the RCADS scales were found to have good internal consistency (&gt; .70). The correlations between the RCADS subscales and their SCARED-R counterparts are generally substantial. Convergent validity was found with the FSSC-R and the CES-D. The study included normal adolescents aged 10 to 19. Therefore, the findings cannot be extended to children under 10, nor to a clinical population. Altogether, the French version of the RCADS showed reasonable psychometric properties.

The Short Form of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R-SF): An efficient, reliable, and valid scale for measuring fear in children and adolescents

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Short Form of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R-SF) in non-clinical and clinically referred children and adolescents from the Netherlands and the United States. Exploratory as well as confirmatory factor analyses of the FSSC-R-SF yielded support for the hypothesized five-factor structure representing fears in the domains of (1) failure and criticism, (2) the unknown, (3) animals, (4) danger and death, and (5) medical affairs. The FSSC-R-SF showed satisfactory reliability and was capable of assessing gender and age differences in youths’ fears and fearfulness that have been documented in previous research. Further, the convergent validity of the scale was good as shown by substantial and meaningful correlations with the full-length FSSC-R and alternative childhood anxiety measures. Finally, support was found for the discriminant validity of the scale. That is, clinically referred children and adolescents exhibited higher scores on the FSSC-R-SF total scale and most subscales as compared to their non-clinical counterparts. Moreover, within the clinical sample, children and adolescents with a major anxiety disorder generally displayed higher FSSC-R-SF scores than youths without such a diagnosis. Altogether, these findings indicate that the FSSC-R-SF is a brief, reliable, and valid scale for assessing fear sensitivities in children and adolescents.

The French Version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Revised (Scared-R): Factor Structure, Convergent and Divergent Validity in a Sample of Teenagers

The principal objective of this study is to provide data on the French version of the SCARED-R. This article investigates the factor structure of the French version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Revised (SCARED-R) and its convergent and divergent validity. 704 normal adolescents aged 10 to 19 years completed the questionnaires in their classrooms. A sub-sample of 595 adolescents also completed an anxiety questionnaire (the French version of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised, FSSC-R) and a depression questionnaire (the French version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, CES-D). Confirmatory factor analysis of the SCARED-R suggested reasonable fit for the 9-factor model. The comparison of the convergent and divergent validity revealed that the SCARED-R total score and five SCARED-R subscales (SAD, Social Phobia and the three Specific Phobias) correlated more strongly with anxiety than depression. The other SCARED-R subscales (GAD, Panic Disorder, OCD and PTSD) are positively related to levels of anxiety and depression. Altogether, the French version of the SCARED-R showed reasonable psychometric properties.

Effects of Age on the Types and Severity of Excessive Fear or the Absence of Fear in Children and Young Adults With Autism

This study identified (a) patterns of fearful stimuli for children and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), (b) the severity of the fear, and (c) whether excessive fear or the absence of fear negatively affected the participant's quality of life. A web-based survey was used to distribute a modified and extended version of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (Ollendick, 1983) to 328 families with children with ASD. Sixty respondents completed the survey, representing a cross section of individuals with ASD from 3 to 22 years old. Responses were analyzed using both descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses for the total sample and the 3 age groups: 3–7, 8–13, and 14–22 years old. The overall severity of fears decreased and the types of stimuli feared changed from concrete (getting a shot, going to the dentist) to more socially based (being evaluated, being teased) with increasing age. Thus, although the severity of fears may decrease throughout childhood and into early adulthood, the fears that are present may actually have a greater negative effect on daily life functioning and thus warrant prevention attempts to reduce the probability that fears will become more debilitating and restrict their vocational and recreational activities. Results are discussed in terms of early intervention and potential prevention of excessive fears in ASD.

Fears, coping and perceived efficacy of coping mechanisms among South African children living in children's homes

Background: The present study examined common childhood fears, coping strategies and perceived efficacy of coping mechanisms among 8- to 13-year-old South African children (n = 141) living in four children's homes. Method: Fears were assessed by means of the Fear List Method (FLM) and the Fear Survey Schedule for Children Revised (FSSC-R). For both measures, the content and number of fears were determined. The FSSC-R was also used to establish the levels of fearfulness, as well as the pattern of fears. Coping strategies and the perceived efficacy of these strategies were assessed by means of open-ended questions. Results: The rank orders of fears as obtained with the FLM were quite different from those derived from the FSSC-R. Girls expressed more fears as well as higher levels of fears than boys. Secondary coping strategies (i.e. seeking social and/or spiritual support) were most often engaged in and were also perceived as most effective. Conclusions: A greater sensitivity to the emotional needs, especially with regard to fears, coping and perceived efficacy, of special populations is recommended.

Anxiety Symptoms and Fears in Hispanic and European American Children: Cross-Cultural Measurement Equivalence

The cross cultural equivalence of child (n = 217) and parent (n = 283) versions of the revised children’s manifest anxiety scale (RCMAS), multidimensional anxiety scale for children (MASC), and the fear survey schedule for children—revised (FSSC-R) was examined in Mexican youth in Mexico, and Hispanic and white European American youth in the USA. The RCMAS, MASC, and FSSC-R showed cross ethnic measurement equivalence. The Mexican and Hispanic youth reported more worries, and the Mexican youth reported more somatic symptoms than the European American youth. Per mother report, Mexican and Hispanic youth express more somatic symptoms than European American youth who also show the least number of fears of the unknown and fears of danger and death. The results support the validity of commonly used child anxiety measures with these populations and accrue evidence for greater anxiety and fear expression by Hispanic and Mexican youth in certain domains.

Changes in social fears across childhood and adolescence: Age-related differences in the factor structure of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised

The (in)variance of the structure of fear across child and adolescent development was investigated using the response of 3,803 young people (aged 6–18 years) to the Fear Survey Schedule for Children- Revised (FSSC-R). It was hypothesized that the structure of fear, particularly social fear, would become more differentiated during adolescence. Confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to test the goodness-of-fit of a 5-factor solution (with one social factor, that is Failure and Criticism) and a 7-factor solution (with social items divided into three distinct subfactors) among three age groups. Results indicated that a 5-factor solution (including just one social factor) adequately characterizes the structure of fear in childhood (6–9 years), whereas a 7-factor solution (including three social factors) more appropriately characterizes the structure of fear in adolescence (10–13 and 14–18 years). It appears that a global social fear exists until around the age of 9, and that social fears becomes more differentiated thereafter.

A developmental analysis of self-reported fears in late childhood through mid-adolescence: social-evaluative fears on the rise?

The frequently reported decline in the overall frequency and intensity of fears during late childhood and adolescence may mask different developmental patterns for two broad subclasses of fears: fears concerning physical danger and fears concerning social evaluation. It was investigated if physical fears decrease between late childhood and mid-adolescence, while social-evaluative fears increase during this period. It was also studied if changes in both sets of fears are more strongly related to socio-cognitive maturity than to age, which itself is only a proxy measure of maturity. A non-clinical sample of 882 children and adolescents (ages 8-18) was recruited for study. Fears were assessed using the Ollendick Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R). A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was conducted to study the factor structure of the Failure and Criticism subscale of the FSSC-R. Level of development was assessed using the Sentence Completion Test for Youth (SCT-Y), a measure of socio-cognitive maturity that is based on Loevinger's model, and measure, of ego development. The PCA of the Failure and Criticism subscale revealed three factors: Social Evaluation, Achievement Evaluation, and Punishment. As predicted, the significant decrease of overall fearfulness obscured two contradictory developmental patterns: (a) fears of physical danger and punishment decreased with age, whereas (b) fears of social and achievement evaluation increased with age. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the age effect for social-evaluative fears was explained entirely on the basis of developmental differences in socio-cognitive maturity (controlling for verbal ability). In contrast, age was a better predictor of the decrease of physical and punishment fears (although socio-cognitive maturity still added to the predictive value of age). The expression of social evaluation fears during adolescence appears not atypical and might be a corollary of socio-cognitive maturation. At the same time, the natural presence of those fears during adolescence appears to constitute a vulnerability for developing a social anxiety disorder.

Fears and Fearfulness in South-African Children

AbstractThe present study examined common childhood fears in 9- to 13-year-old South-African children (N = 404) from white, coloured, and black cultural groups. Fears were assessed by means of two methods — the fear list method and the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R). Results showed that fear rank orders as obtained with the fear list method were quite different from those derived from the FSSC-R. Furthermore, clear differences in fear levels were found among the three cultural groups. More specifically, coloured and black South-African children displayed significantly higher fear levels than white children. Finally, differences were also found as to the content of prevalent fears in the three cultural groups. For example, common fears in coloured and black children were more frequently related to violence than in white children.

Studying Fears in Young Children

The article introduces two interview methods for studying young children' fears, applied in separate studies with representative samples of children aged 5-6 in Finland ( N = 222) and Estonia ( N = 117). The semi-structured interview was based on the question, `What things are you afraid of?' The article describes the interview scheme as well as the interview process. The picture-aided interview was designed on the basis of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children - Revised (FSSC-R). The semistructured interviews showed that young children are capable of expressing a much wider range of fears (e.g. television programmes) than had been assumed earlier. The picture-aided interviews revealed more fears related to social relations than did the semi-structured interviews. Both methods are recommended for research use.

Three new childhood anxiety scales have comparable reliability and validity to traditional diagnostic scales

(2002) Behaviour Research and Therapy 40, 753; Muris P, Merckelbach H, Ollendick T et al. . Three traditional and three new childhood anxiety questionnaires: their reliability and validity in a...

Three traditional and three new childhood anxiety questionnaires: their reliability and validity in a normal adolescent sample

The current study examined the psychometrics of three traditional [i.e., the trait anxiety version of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and the Fear Survey Schedule for Children – Revised (FSSC-R)] and three new childhood anxiety scales [the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), and the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS)] in a large sample of normal adolescents ( N=521). Childhood anxiety scales were generally found to be reliable in terms of internal consistency. Furthermore, evidence was obtained for the convergent and divergent validity of the various anxiety questionnaires. That is, anxiety questionnaire scores were found to be substantially intercorrelated. Particularly strong associations were found between total scores of the STAIC and the RCMAS, total scores of the SCARED and the SCAS, and between subscales that intend to measure specific categories of anxiety symptoms. Childhood anxiety questionnaires were substantially connected to an index of depression, although correlations among anxiety questionnaires were generally higher than those between anxiety scales and a measure of depression.

Diferencias sexuales en la prevalencia e intensidad de los miedos durante la infancia y la adolescencia : datos basados en el FSSC-R

The aim of this work was to examine gender differences in prevalence and intensity of common fears in a large sample (N = 1080) of nonclinical children and adolescents (ranging in age from 8 to 18 years). Participants completed the Spanish version of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R; Ollendick, 1983), a validated measure designed to assess common fears in children an adolescents. Results showed that: (1) girls reported significantly higher levels of fearfulness (prevalence and intensity of fears) than boys; (2) both girls and boys reported high levels of number of fears on the physical danger and death domain (nine of the ten most common fears belong to this fear dimension); and (3) both girls and boys endorsed 9 of the 10 same fears as their highest fears. Overall, these data paralleled those reported in other Western samples (United States, Australia and England) and provide cross-cultural validity of the Spanish version of the FSSC-R.

What is the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children measuring?

The Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R) is a widely used self-report questionnaire that purports to measure the number of fears and the overall level of fearfulness in children. A number of studies have shown that the ten most common childhood fears can be found on the Danger and Death subscale of the FSSC-R, with upwards of 50% of children endorsing such fears. However, some researchers (e.g., H. McCathie & S.H. Spence, 1991; Behaviour Research and Therapy, 29, 495–502) have questioned the validity of these findings, suggesting that these items do not reflect actual childhood fears that children have or experience on a daily or regular basis. Rather, they suggest that children are responding to these fear items as if they were actually occuring to them in the here and now. The current study examined the occurrence of five Danger and Death fears from the FSSC-R (i.e., “Not being able to breathe”, “Being hit by a car or truck”, “Falling from high places”, “Bombing attacks or being invaded”, and “Fire or getting burned”) in a sample of normal school children aged eight to 12 years ( N=102). More specifically, we used three different methods to asses these fears: (1) prevalence as determined by the standard FSSC-R procedure, (2) prevalence as determined by a fear list procedure, and (3) actual occurrence or prevalence of these fears in the past week, as determined by a diary method. Results indicated that while these fears ranked high when using the standard FSSC-R procedure, they were considerably less common when using the fear list procedure, and had a low probability of actual occurrence on a daily basis, as well as possessing a short duration and low intensity. Implications for the assessment of fears and the use of self-report measures like the FSSC-R are briefly discussed.