Cultural Adaptation of the Preschool Anxiety Scale in Romania

Abstract

The current study investigated the psychometric proprieties of the Romanian form of the Preschool Anxiety Scale—Parent version (PAS). The sample consisted of 514 Romanian children (266 boys and 249 girls) aged 3 to 6 years. The mothers of these children completed the PAS and the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire—Mother Form (PSDQ), and the children’s teachers completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, Teacher Rating Scale (BASC-2 TRS). Results reveal that the PAS has satisfactory psychometric proprieties on the Romanian sample: it shows a good reliability and a good fit of the data with the underlying correlated five-factor structural model. The construct validity of the Romanian form of the PAS was supported by a significant relationship between the PAS total anxiety score and various BASC-2 (anxiety, withdrawal behavior, atypical behavior, learning problems, adaptability, social skills, learning skills, and leadership), and PSDQ (authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative parenting style) scales. Age had a significant effect on the generalized anxiety, physical injury fears and separation anxiety scales, and girls scored significantly higher than boys on the total anxiety score and the physical injury fears scale.