Language
English
Publication Date
8-1-2023
Journal
Journal of Mood & Anxiety Disorders
DOI
10.1016/j.xjmad.2023.100017
PMID
37693105
PMCID
PMC10486182
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
9-8-2023
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Author MSS
Abstract
Autistic youth often present with comorbid anxiety and depression yet there is a dearth of validated assessment tools. The Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) assesses internalizing symptoms but there is little psychometric data in autistic youth. Treatment-seeking autistic youth with anxiety or obsessive-compulsive symptoms (N = 74; age 6–14 years), and caregivers, were administered the RCADS-Parent, RCADS-Child, and assessments of internalizing, externalizing symptoms and social impairment indicative of autism. RCADS-Parent and RCADS-Child total anxiety scores demonstrated excellent internal consistency, and the six subscales demonstrated acceptable-to-good internal consistency. The RCADS-Child and Parent total anxiety scores were weakly correlated, and neither child age nor gender altered the strength of this association. Convergent validity was supported by moderate-to-strong correlations with clinician and parent-reported anxiety symptoms. Support for divergent validity was mixed. Results provide support for the RCADS-Parent and RCADS-Child as reliable, valid measures of internalizing symptoms in autistic youth.
Keywords
Anxiety, Autism spectrum disorder, Assessment, Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression, Scale, Reliability, Validity
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Khalfe, Nasim; Goetz, Amy R; Trent, Erika S; et al., "Psychometric Properties of the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) for Autistic Youth Without Co-Occurring Intellectual Disability" (2023). Faculty and Staff Publications. 3558.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/3558
Included in
Mental and Social Health Commons, Neurosciences Commons, Pediatrics Commons, Psychiatry and Psychology Commons