Behavioral Psychology / Psicología Conductua (BP) is published by IMR Press from Volume 33 Issue 1 (2025). Previous articles were published by another publisher under the hybrid model (CC-BY-NC license or on a subscription basis), and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement.
“ESCALA DE ANSIEDAD INFANTIL DE SPENCE” (SPENCE CHILDREN’S ANXIETY SCALE, SCAS): FIABILIDAD Y VALIDEZ DE LA VERSIÓN ESPAÑOLA
, Aurora Gavino 1, Raquel Nogueira 1, Carolina Quintero 1, Yolanda Casado 11 Universidad de Málaga, España
*Correspondencia: Antonio Godoy, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga (España).
E-mail: godoy@uma.es
Abstract
This study examined the reliability and validity of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) in a sample of 1,636 Spanish students 9-17 years old. The total-score internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was 0.92 and indices of subscales ranged from 0.81 (Panic-Agoraphobia) to 0.61 (Separation Anxiety and Physical Injury Fear). The test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation) was 0.61 and subscales ran-ged from 0.62 (Specific Phobias) to 0.51 (Panic-Agoraphobia). All scores decreased slightly from test to retest. SCAS scores showed convergent validity in their high correlation with general and specific anxiety measures. SCAS scores also showed divergent validity in their low correlation with several measures of non-anxiety disorders, including depression. It is concluded that the SCAS is a suitable tool to assess in Spanish children anxiety disorders as they are depicted in DSM-IV.
Keywords
- SCAS
- anxiety disorders
- children
- adolescents