Validation of the Portuguese Version of the Youth Anxiety Measure for DSM-5 (YAM-5-I)

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to validate Youth Anxiety Measure for DSM-5 (YAM-5) for Portuguese adolescents. Including 28 items assessing symptoms of the main anxiety disorders described in DSM-5 (APA, 2013), five subscales compose part I of YAM-5 assessed in this validation study: Separation Anxiety, Selective Mutism, Social Anxiety, Panic and Generalized Anxiety Disorders (Muris, Simon, Lipjart, Bos, Hale III, & Schmeitz, 2017c). MethodsAfter a translation and backtranslation process, 277 adolescents (11 - 16 years old; Mage = 13.11; SD = 1.20; 174 female) from public schools completed YAM-5 and other measures of psychopathological symptomatology: The Fear Survey Schedule for Children- Revised (FSSC-R; Ollendick, 1983); The Youth Self-Report (YSR; Achenbach, 1991); and The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI; Derogatis, 1993). ResultsHigh internal consistency of YAM-5 (Cronbach’s alphas of .92 for the total score, and from .64 to .74 for the subscales, with item-total correlations [ITC] ranging between .42 and .75 in the respective subscales) was confirmed, as well as gender differences with girls scoring significantly higher regarding total score and subscales (except for Selective Mutism subscale). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a four-factor model accounting for 58% of the total variance. Convergent validity with other dimensions revealed strong Pearson coefficients for total score and moderate to strong for the subscales (p < .001).ConclusionsOur results provide support for reliability and validity of the Portuguese version of YAM-5 suggesting that this instrument is a valid screening tool for symptoms of anxiety disorders in Portuguese adolescents.