Assessing anxiety with the Child Behavior Checklist and the Teacher Report Form

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2006.10.012Get rights and content

Abstract

We evaluated the utility of Anxiety scales for the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Teacher Report Form (TRF). The scales (CBCL-A; TRF-A) were examined using mothers and teachers of anxiety-disordered (AD; 157 mothers, 70 teachers) and non-anxiety-disordered (NAD; 100 mothers, 17 teachers) children. Separate samples of parents and teachers of AD (mothers = 145, fathers = 120, teachers = 137) and NAD (mothers = 35, fathers = 29, teachers = 27) children cross-validated the original findings. CBCL-A and TRF-A scores significantly discriminated AD children from NAD children and correlated significantly with other measures of child anxiety. The CBCL-A and TRF-A were sensitive to treatment changes. Relative to the CBCL/TRF Anxious/Depressed syndromes and Internalizing dimensions, the CBCL-A and TRF-A improved prediction of anxiety status. Relative to Achenbach, Demenci, and Rescorla's [Achenbach, T. M., Demenci, L., & Rescorla, L. A. (2003). DSM-oriented and empirically based approaches to constructing scales from the same item pools. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 32, 328–340] CBCL Anxiety subscale, the CBCL-A predicted comparably. Findings are discussed in terms of the CBCL-A and TRF-A as clinical tools.

Section snippets

Assessing anxiety with the Child Behavior Checklist and the Teacher Report Form

Anxiety disorders are common in children and adolescents1 (Kashani and Orvaschel, 1988, Kashani and Orvaschel, 1990) and often lead to considerable impairment (Ialongo, Edelsohn, Werthamer-Larsson, Crockett, & Kellam, 1995; LaGreca & Lopez, 1998; Strauss, Lahey, Frick, Frame, & Hynd, 1988). In a community study, approximately 2.4% of youth ages 9–16 met criteria for at least one anxiety disorder (Costello, Mustillo, Erkanli, Keeler, & Angold, 2003). If left

Participants

The initial sample used to assess the CBCL-A comprised 157 AD participants and 100 NAD community participants. Youth's ages ranged from 9 to 13. AD participants met DSM-III criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) for a principal diagnosis of overanxious disorder (OAD)/generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), separation anxiety disorder (SAD), or avoidant disorder/social phobia according to a semi-structured clinical interview (Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children: ADIS-C/P;

Group Comparability

In the initial sample, chi square tests revealed a significant difference between the AD and the NAD groups for race, χ2 (1, n = 257) = 8.63, p < .005, but not for gender. In the TRF sample, χ2-test revealed nonsignificant differences between the AD and the NAD groups for race and for gender. In the cross-validation sample, χ2-test revealed nonsignificant differences between the AD and the NAD groups for race, gender, and total household income. T tests revealed a significant difference between AD

Discussion

Assessment of anxiety in youth requires a multi-method, multi-informant approach, drawing information from interviews, youth self-reports, parent and teacher reports, and behavioral observations. The CBCL and TRF are important components of this multi-method approach as they provide useful discrimination between broadband externalizing and internalizing disorders. The present study presents initial evidence for the utility of a CBCL-A and TRF-A derived specifically to assess anxiety disorders

References (41)

  • T.M. Achenbach

    Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist 4–18 and 1991 profile

    (1991)
  • T.M. Achenbach et al.

    DSM-oriented and empirically based approaches to constructing scales from the same item pools

    Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology

    (2003)
  • T.M. Achenbach et al.

    Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist and revised behavior profile

    (1983)
  • T.M. Achenbach et al.

    Manual for the teacher's report form and teacher version of the child behavior profile

    (1986)
  • T.M. Achenbach et al.

    Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity

    Psychological Bulletin

    (1987)
  • P.M. Barrett

    Evaluation of cognitive-behavioral group treatments for childhood anxiety disorders

    Journal of Clinical Child Psychology

    (1998)
  • D.C. Beidel et al.

    Stability in anxious symptomatology in children

    Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology

    (1996)
  • E.J. Costello et al.

    Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence

    Archives of General Psychiatry

    (2003)
  • C.S. Edelbrock et al.

    The teacher version of the child behavior profile. 1. Boys aged 6–11

    Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

    (1984)
  • N. Ialongo et al.

    The significance of self-reported anxious symptoms in first grade children: prediction to anxious symptoms and adaptive functioning in fifth grade

    Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

    (1995)
  • Cited by (0)

    This research was supported by NIMH grant MH60653 awarded to Philip C. Kendall.

    View full text