Toronto, ON

Screening Tool: Anxiety in Children

This survey (the 41-item SCARED) is a screening test for anxiety in children/youth aged 8-17. If the questionnaire is positive, it does not mean necessarily that the person has anxiety, but it is recommended to see a health professional to explore further.

 

If you are an adult and concerned about a particular child/youth, you can ask the following questions below to the child/youth that you are concerned about:

 

Below is a list of sentences that describe how people feel. For each sentence, fill in one circle that corresponds to the response that seems to describe you for the last 3 months. 

1. When I feel frightened, it is hard to breathe.
2. I get headaches when I am at school.
3. I don’t like to be with people I don’t know well.
4. I get scared if I sleep away from home.
5. I worry about other people liking me.
6. When I get frightened, I feel like passing out.
7. I am nervous.
8. I follow my mother or father wherever they go.
9. People tell me that I look nervous.
10. I feel nervous with people I don’t know well.
11. I get stomachaches at school.
12. When I get frightened, I feel like I am going crazy.
13. I worry about sleeping alone.
14. I worry about being as good as other kids.
15. When I get frightened, I feel like things are not real.
16. I have nightmares about something bad happening to my parents.
17. I worry about going to school.
18. When I get frightened, my heart beats fast.
19. I get shaky.
20. I have nightmares about something bad happening to me.
21. I worry about things working out for me.
22. When I get frightened, I sweat a lot.
23. I am a worrier.
24. I get really frightened for no reason at all.
25. I am afraid to be alone in the house.
26. It is hard for me to talk with people I don’t know well.
27. When I get frightened, I feel like I am choking.
28. People tell me that I worry too much.
29. I don’t like to be away from my family.
30. I am afraid of having anxiety (or panic) attacks.
31. I worry that something bad might happen to my parents.
32. I feel shy with people I don’t know well.
33. I worry about what is going to happen in the future.
34. When I get frightened, I feel like throwing up.
35. I worry about how well I do things.
36. I am scared to go to school.
37. I worry about things that have already happened.
38. When I get frightened, I feel dizzy.
39. I feel nervous when I am with other children or adults and I have to do something while they watch me (for example: read aloud, speak, play a game, play a sport).
40. I feel nervous when I am going to parties, dances, or any place where there will be people that I don’t know well.
41. I am shy.

The questionnaire used here is the 41-item SCARED developed by Dr. Birmaher. 

 

For more information about this screening tool: 

  • Birmaher B, Khetarpal S, Brent D, Cully M, Balach L, Kaufman J, Neer SM: The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): scale construction and psychometric characteristics. J. Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997 Apr; 36(4):545-53. 
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199704000-00018