Brief Description
The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) is a self-report instrument designed to identify anxiety disorders in youth aged 8-18. The tool includes subscales to assess the presence of symptoms related to generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder, school phobia, and social phobia, in children. The SCARED consists of 41 items that assess a youth’s experience with symptoms of anxiety (e.g. "I worry about things working out for me”). Possible responses range from "Not True or Hardly Ever True" to "Very True or Often True." This tool is particularly useful in clinical and school settings for early detection of anxiety disorders, guiding further assessment or intervention. The tool can be used to monitor symptoms and treatment progress over time.
Assessment Administration Type
Child/Adolescent Self-Report
Number of questions
41
Age Range for Administration
8-18
Recommended Frequency of Administration
Every three months or as clinically indicated.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
Each item is scored on a scale of 0 ("Not true or hardly ever true") to 2 ("Very true or often true"). The total score is found by summing the responses to the items. Total scores range from 0-82, with higher total scores indicating greater anxiety levels. A total score of 25 or higher may suggest the presence of an anxiety disorder, while scores exceeding 30 are more specific in identifying such disorders. The measure also allows for the assessment of specific anxiety subtypes. Those are scored as follows:
Item Numbers | Cutoff Score | Anxiety subtype |
1, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 19, 22, 24, 27, 30, 34, 38 | 7 | Panic Disorder or Significant Somatic Symptoms |
5, 7, 14, 21, 23, 28, 33, 35, 37 | 9 | Generalized Anxiety Disorder |
4, 8, 13, 16, 20, 25, 29, 31 | 5 | Separation Anxiety Disorder |
3, 10, 26, 32, 39, 40, 41 | 8 | Social Anxiety Disorder |
2, 11, 17, 36 | 3 | Significant School Avoidance |
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated time for completion: 10-15 minutes
The SCARED-Parent report version is also available on Blueprint. It can be valuable to have insights from both perspectives.
The SCARED has been translated into other languages, including Spanish, which can be found in Blueprint’s Assessment Library.
The SCARED was created in 1997 and parallels anxiety symptoms identified in the DSM-IV-TR. Clinicians should consider how these symptoms apply to DSM-5 criteria when forming diagnostic impressions.
The SCARED is meant to enhance clinical decision-making. It should not serve as the sole basis for making a diagnosis.
Citation
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
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