A MULTIPLE-STAGE SCREENING-PROCEDURE FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF CHILDHOOD ANXIETY DISORDERS

The present investigation examined the usefulness of a multiple-stage screening procedure in the identification of youth experiencing elevated levels of anxiety. Children (N = 758) in Grades 4-7 completed a three stage screening procedure. During the first and second stages, children completed a paper-and-pencil self-report measure of trait anxiety; the third stage involved a clinical interview with the child. Results were similar to those found when the procedure was used to identify children with depression. Generally, multiple-stage screening is viewed as a useful technique in the identification of children experiencing anxiety. Issues concerning child self-report, classification accuracy and the implications of cutoff scores, and the comorbidity of anxiety and depression are discussed.