Xavier Méndez

Síntomas de trastornos de ansiedad en niños y adolescentes: Diferencias en función de la edad y el sexo en una muestra comunitaria

INTRODUCTION Anxiety symptoms in childhood and adolescence are an important risk factor for developing anxiety disorders in subsequent development stages. This study examines the frequency and characteristics of the symptoms of the principal anxiety disorders in children and adoloscents using a self-report questionnaire based on the diagnostic categories of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) manual. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional, non-interventional study was conducted on 2522 children and adolescents form 8 to 17 years (49% males), enrolled from different schools in the Province of Alicante who completed the Spence Childrens Anxiety Scale. RESULTS The mean score obtained on the scale (range: 0-114) was 25.15 (standard deviation (SD)=13.54). More than one in four (26.41%) of the children and adolescents showed high scores in any anxiety disorder. The anxiety symptoms due to separation were the most frequent in the sample (5.5%), followed by physical fears (5.1%). Girls scored significantly higher in all disorders (P<.001), except in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Differences were found as regards age in all disorders, except physical fears, but the effect sizes were only in anxiety due to separation, which decreased with age, and generalised anxiety, which was higher in adolescents than in children. CONCLUSIONS From the mental health perspective, it is important to be able to detect anxiety symptoms in children from 8 years onwards, in order to intervene early and prevent the development of anxiety disorders in later life.

Psychometric Properties and Factorial Structure of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) in Spanish Adolescents

The Spence Childrens Anxiety Scale is an instrument widely applied in the assessment of the most common anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. This study examines its psychometric properties and the factorial structure in a large community sample of Spanish-speaking adolescents (N = 1,374) aged 13 to 17 years. The scale demonstrated strong internal consistency and good convergent and discriminant validity. Factor analysis confirmed the 6-factor original model, providing a good fit of the data for the Spanish sample. The good psychometric properties support its use by clinicians and researchers, adding evidence to the international empirical support for this measure.

Children's Separation Anxiety Scale (CSAS): Psychometric Properties

This study describes the psychometric properties of the Childrens Separation Anxiety Scale (CSAS), which assesses separation anxiety symptoms in childhood. Participants in Study 1 were 1,908 schoolchildren aged between 8 and 11. Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors: worry about separation, distress from separation, opposition to separation, and calm at separation, which explained 46.91% of the variance. In Study 2, 6,016 children aged 8–11 participated. The factor model in Study 1 was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency (α = 0.82) and temporal stability (r = 0.83) of the instrument were good. The convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated by means of correlations with other measures of separation anxiety, childhood anxiety, depression and anger. Sensitivity of the scale was 85% and its specificity, 95%. The results support the reliability and validity of the CSAS.