Psychometric properties of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in a clinical sample

Behav Res Ther. 2005 Mar;43(3):309-22. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2004.02.004.

Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) in a clinical sample of 513 youth referred for mental health assessment at a university clinic. Internal consistency and factor analysis provided support for the factorial validity of the RCADS. Convergent and discriminant validity tests against both clinical interview and self-report criteria also suggested favorable properties of the RCADS. In comparative tests with traditional measures of anxiety and depression, the RCADS generally showed greater correspondence to specific diagnostic syndromes. Clinical cutoffs are reported for the purposes of future clinical and research applications.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Affect
  • Age Factors
  • Anxiety Disorders / diagnosis
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology*
  • Child
  • Depressive Disorder / diagnosis
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology*
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / psychology
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales*
  • Psychometrics / methods*
  • ROC Curve
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Self-Assessment
  • Sex Factors