Validation of the brief version of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale for Spanish children (SCAS-C-8)

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to validate the self-reported brief version of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale–Children (SCAS-C-8) in pre-adolescent Spanish children. Method: Participants were 824 children aged 8–12 from a community sample. The results revealed a good fit to the one-factor structure, adequate internal consistency (α = 0.75), and evidence of test-retest reliability (α = 0.77). Results: The strong relationship between the SCAS-C-8 and emotional problems provided evidence of convergent validity. Also, the results showed factorial gender invariance. Conclusion: The SCAS-C-8 is a suitable instrument for pre-adolescent Spanish children. The brevity and simplicity of this scale may facilitate early detection and help to narrow the existent gap between the presence of anxiety problems and psychological assistance-seeking.