Reliability and validity of the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders (SCARED) in Chinese children

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders (SCARED) in a large community sample of Chinese children. The 41-item version of the SCARED was administered to 1559 primary and junior high school students (774 boys and 785 girls, mean age 11.8 ± 2.11) in 12 Chinese cities. The SCARED demonstrated moderate to high internal consistency (alpha = 0.43–0.89) and test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.46–0.77 over 2 weeks and 0.24–0.67 over 12 weeks), moderate parent–child correlation (r = 0.49–0.59) and good discriminant validity (between anxiety and non-anxiety disorders). The SCARED total score was significantly correlated with the internalizing factor of the child behavior checklist (0.41). Factor analyses revealed the same five-factor structure as the original SCARED. These findings support that the SCARED is a reliable and valid anxiety screening instrument in Chinese children.