Brief Description
The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders- Parent (SCARED-Parent) is a parent/caregiver 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 - Parent consists of 41 items that assess a parent or caregiver’s perception of the youth’s experience with symptoms of anxiety (e.g. "When my child feels frightened, it is hard for him/her to breathe.”). Possible responses range from "Not True or Hardly Ever True" to "Very True or Often True." This measure is particularly useful in clinical and school settings for early detection of anxiety disorders, guiding further assessment or intervention. It can be used to monitor symptoms and treatment progress over time.
Assessment Administration Type
Parent Report
Number of questions
41
Age Range for Administration
Parents of youth aged 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. The range of total scores is 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 child/adolescent self-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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