Measurement invariance and psychometric properties of the Spence Children's anxiety scale-short version (SCAS-S) in Chinese students

The present study aimed to examine measurement invariance and psychometric properties of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale-Short Version (SCAS-S) in Chinese children. The measurement invariance across different informants (i.e., self-report and mother-report), as well as gender and longitudinal (i.e., one year) measurement invariance were tested for a sample of Chinese youth, using a series of confirmatory factor analyses (N = 462, M-age = 10.45, SDage = .85). Results indicated that the scores of the SCAS-S had strict measurement invariance across gender and a one-year time interval, and weak measurement invariance across informants. Additionally, correlations with the external variables showed that the self-report version SCAS-S had good construct validity. Furthermore, the internal consistencies for the SCAS-S subscales were acceptable across informants, gender, and time points. In conclusion, the findings suggest that the SCAS-S has satisfactory psychometric properties and can be a reliable tool to measure anxiety in Chinese children aged 9 to 13 years old.

Automated summary

The present study examined measurement invariance and psychometric properties of the SCAS-S in Chinese children. Results showed that the SCAS-S had strict measurement invariance across gender and a one-year time interval, and weak measurement invariance across informants. The self-report version of SCAS-S demonstrated good construct validity and the internal consistencies of its subscales were acceptable across different informants, gender, and time points. These findings suggest that the SCAS-S is a reliable tool to measure anxiety in Chinese children aged 9 to 13 years old.