Diagnostic Efficiency of the Child and Parent Versions of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the psychometrics and clinical efficiency of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), which measures physical symptoms, harm avoidance, social anxiety, and separation/panic. Using a sample of 190 treatment-seeking Norwegian youth (aged 7-13 years, M (age) = 10.3 years, 62.1% male), the internal stability and ability to predict to disorder were examined for child, mother, and father reports on the MASC. Moderate to strong internal reliability was exhibited across all MASC subscales. Parent-child agreement was low, but mother-father agreement was high. MASC scores successfully distinguished between children with and without anxiety disorders and identified youth with separation anxiety disorder and social phobia, but less accurately generalized anxiety disorders. The MASC has favorable psychometric properties and is a useful screening instrument for identifying youth with anxiety disorders.

Convergent and divergent validity of K-SADS-PL anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnoses in a clinical sample of school-aged children

“…Findings from previous studies indicate that the subscales of social anxiety and separation anxiety are specifically associated with the diagnoses of SOP and SAD respectively (23,24). In the present study, internal consistency was good, with…”

“…Moderate to strong internal reliability has been shown across all MASC subscales for both the child and parent versions (23,24). Findings from previous studies indicate that the subscales of social anxiety and separation anxiety are specifically associated with the diagnoses of SOP and SAD respectively (23,24).…”

“…Scales assessing symptoms of social anxiety more specifically may have yielded different results. Previous studies have found that children can provide important information of social anxiety symptoms relevant for diagnostic accuracy using the full version of the MASC and its subscale of social anxiety (23,24).…”

Prevention of Anxiety and Depression in Children: Acceptability and Feasibility of the Transdiagnostic EMOTION Program

“…The 39 items assess physical symptoms, avoidance of harm, social anxiety, and separation anxiety/panic. The MASC has strong psychometric properties and has been evaluated in a Norwegian sample (Villabø, Gere, Torgersen, March, & Kendall, 2012). The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI; (Kovacs, 1992) assessed self-reported depressive symptoms.…”

A Escala Multidimensional de Ansiedade para Crianças (MASC): Propriedades psicométricas e análise fatorial confirmatória numa amostra de adolescentes portugueses

“…Vários estudos com populações gerais e com populações clínicas apoiaram a sua consistência interna, estabilidade temporal e validade convergente (GrillsTaquechel, Ollendick, & Fisak, 2008;Kingery, Ginsburg, & Burstein, 2009;March et al, 1997;Ólason, Sighvatsson, & Smári, 2004;Rynn et al, 2006;Villabø, Gere, Torgersen, March, & Kendall, 2012), pelo que a MASC representou um avanço na avaliação da ansiedade em crianças e adolescentes, pela sua estrutura fatorial hierárquica e forte validade divergente e discriminante. Nomeadamente, a forte validade divergente da MASC ofereceu uma vantagem significativa na avaliação da ansiedade infantil na prática clínica, ao discriminar entre construtos diagnósticos.…”