Author of Tool:
Birmaher, B., Brent, D. A., Chiappetta, L., Bridge, J., Monga, S., & Baugher, M. (1999). Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): A replication study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(10), 1230–6.
Primary use / Purpose:
The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) is a 41-item inventory rated on a 3 point Likert-type scale. It comes in two versions; one asks questions to parents about their child and the other asks these same questions to the child directly. The purpose of the instrument is to screen for signs of anxiety disorders in children.
One of the commonest difficulties faced by children is anxiety. A number of children will experience clinical levels of anxiety and some will go on to develop a full blown anxiety disorder. Estimates suggest that approximately 10% of the population may experience an anxiety disorder at some time. Without adequate tools to measure levels of anxiety in children it is not possible to isolate the problem and give them the early attention they need. This is why the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) was developed and validated. This instrument measures anxiety using four domains: panic/somatic, separation anxiety, generalized anxiety, and school phobia.
The psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) are discussed in Birmaher, B., Brent, D. A., Chiappetta, L., Bridge, J., Monga, S., & Baugher, M. (1999).