Spence Children's Anxiety Scale Parent Version
The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale Parent Version (SCAS-P) is a validated clinical instrument designed to assess a broad spectrum of anxiety symptoms in…
- Questions
- 38
- Duration
- 10 min
- Original title
- SCAS-P — Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (parent version)
- Adaptation
- Spence Children's Anxiety Scale Parent Version
- Authors
- Spence, S. H. (échelle originale) ; Nauta, M. H., Scholing, A., Rapee, R. M., Abbott, M., Spence, S. H., & Waters, A. (version parent)
- Created
- 1998
The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale Parent Version (SCAS-P) is a validated clinical instrument designed to assess a broad spectrum of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents through the eyes of their primary caregivers. While children provide essential self-report data, parents often observe behavioral manifestations of anxiety, such as physical restlessness, school refusal, and reassurance-seeking, that younger patients might struggle to articulate. This dual perspective is particularly useful during intake assessments and when building a longitudinal case formulation.
Administered to the parent or caregiver, the SCAS-P covers six distinct dimensions of anxiety that map onto core diagnostic concepts, including generalized worry, separation distress, and specific phobic responses. Because anxious cognition is often maintained by unhelpful coping loops and safety behaviours, capturing the parent's observations helps clinicians identify these externalized patterns. As a repeatable measure, it provides a structured way to track symptomatic change and evaluate whether the child is successfully reducing their reliance on experiential avoidance over the course of treatment.
Example result
Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.
Overall score
55/ 114
Spence Children's Anxiety Scale – Parent Version (SCAS-P): 38 items completed by a parent, assessing child and adolescent anxiety symptoms (norms 7-13 years) across six domains — separation anxiety, social anxiety, obsessions-compulsions, panic/agoraphobia, physical injury fears, and generalized anxiety. Interpretation is based on official T-score tables, by sex and age.
généralemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 407 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
0114
55
M = 17.1 ± 11.5
généralemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 509 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
0114
55
M = 15.4 ± 13.4
généralefemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 420 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
0114
55
M = 18.8 ± 12.2
généralefemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 521 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
0114
55
M = 16.4 ± 11.9
Scoring
Sum by subscale and total score, total score from 0 to 114, each item is scored on a 4-point scale (from 0 to 3).
Official interpretation by sex and age (SCAS-P T-scores)
Sex
Age
Total score55 / 114Very Elevated (T ≥ 65)
02635114
Separation anxiety9 / 18Very Elevated (T ≥ 65)
07918
Social anxiety7 / 18Elevated (T ≥ 60)
07918
Obsessions-compulsions8 / 18Very Elevated (T ≥ 65)
03518
Panic / agoraphobia15 / 27Very Elevated (T ≥ 65)
02427
Physical injury fears6 / 15Elevated (T ≥ 60)
05715
Generalized anxiety10 / 18Very Elevated (T ≥ 65)
05718
For the selected sex and age, each scale enters the "Elevated" range at the first raw score that reaches a T-score of 60 in the official conversion tables ("Elevated", ≈ 84th percentile of the reference group of the same sex and age), and the "Very Elevated" range at the first raw score that reaches T 65 (≈ 94th percentile). Table lookup is direct, never interpolated; below the first printed rank the table indicates "≤ 40", beyond the last "≥ 70" (bounded values as is). Tables: SCAS (Parent Report) Boys/Girls Aged 7-9 / 10-13, June 2018 — https://www.scaswebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SCAS-P-Boys-7-9-FinalJune2018copyV2.pdf; https://www.scaswebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SCAS-P-Boys-10-13-FinalJune2018copy.pdf; https://www.scaswebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SCAS-P-Girls-7-9-FinalJune2018copy.pdf; https://www.scaswebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SCAS-P-Girls-10-13-FinalJune2018copy.pdf
Generalized anxiety
10/ 18
Evaluates excessive worry about everyday matters, perfectionism, and general anxiety symptoms. This includes worrying about things in general, feeling nervous, and having trouble relaxing.
items 1, 3, 4, 18, 20, 22
généralemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 407 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
10
M = 3.3 ± 2.3
généralemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 509 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
10
M = 3 ± 2.6
généralefemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 420 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
10
M = 3.5 ± 2.5
généralefemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 521 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
10
M = 3.3 ± 2.5
Obsessions-compulsions
8/ 18
Evaluates repetitive thoughts, compulsive behaviours, and ritualistic actions. This includes checking behaviours, unwanted intrusive thoughts, and the need to do certain things in a particular way.
items 13, 17, 24, 35, 36, 37
généralemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 407 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
8
M = 1.4 ± 2.2
généralemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 509 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
8
M = 1.4 ± 2.6
généralefemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 420 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
8
M = 1.5 ± 2.3
généralefemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 521 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
8
M = 1.2 ± 2.1
Panic / agoraphobia
15/ 27
Assesses physical symptoms of anxiety and fear of public places or situations where escape might be difficult. This includes symptoms like heart racing, difficulty breathing, and fear of crowded places.
items 12, 19, 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34
généralemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 407 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
027
15
M = 1 ± 2
généralemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 509 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
027
15
M = 1.2 ± 2.6
généralefemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 420 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
027
15
M = 1.2 ± 2.2
généralefemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 521 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
027
15
M = 1 ± 2.1
Physical injury fears
6/ 15
Measures specific fears related to physical harm or injury. This includes fears of doctors/dentists, fear of heights, darkness, and specific situations that might result in physical harm.
items 2, 16, 21, 23, 29
généralemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 407 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
015
6
M = 3.2 ± 2.5
généralemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 509 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
015
6
M = 2.7 ± 2.4
généralefemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 420 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
015
6
M = 3.7 ± 2.5
généralefemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 521 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
015
6
M = 3.1 ± 2.5
Separation anxiety
9/ 18
Assesses a child’s distress when separated from their primary caregivers or home environment. Includes fears about being alone, worry about harm befalling family members, and reluctance to go to school or sleep away from home.
items 5, 8, 11, 14, 15, 38
généralemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 407 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
9
M = 4 ± 3.4
généralemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 509 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
9
M = 2.9 ± 3.2
généralefemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 420 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
9
M = 4.3 ± 3.1
généralefemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 521 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
9
M = 3.1 ± 3
Social anxiety
7/ 18
Measures fear and avoidance of social situations, including performance anxiety and social evaluation concerns. This includes worries about speaking in class, meeting new people, and fear of embarrassment.
items 6, 7, 9, 10, 26, 31
généralemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 407 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
7
M = 4.1 ± 3
généralemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 509 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
7
M = 4.1 ± 3.2
généralefemales · community sample · 7–9 years · n = 420 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
7
M = 4.6 ± 3.4
généralefemales · community sample · 10–13 years · n = 521 · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Brown (2012) · Nauta et al. (2004) · Brown-Jacobsen et al. (2011) · Whiteside et al. (2012)
018
7
M = 4.6 ± 3.2
Have your patient take this test
Assign it in one click: your patient answers on their phone, you receive the score and its interpretation.
What the test measures
The SCAS-P quantifies the frequency of anxious behaviors, physiological reactions, and expressed worries as observed by a caregiver. The items are grouped into six distinct clinical domains:
- Generalized Anxiety: Excessive, generalized worry about future events, combined with somatic symptoms like feeling shaky or complaining of stomach aches.
- Panic and Agoraphobia: Sudden, unexplained physiological arousal and the associated fear of situations like crowded places or small rooms, capturing the core features of panic attacks and agoraphobia.
- Social Phobia: Fear of humiliation, embarrassment, or negative evaluation in performance or social situations.
- Separation Anxiety: Distress when separated from primary caregivers, fear of sleeping alone, or worry that harm will come to family members.
- Obsessive-Compulsive: Repetitive behaviors, persistent unwanted thoughts, and rigid adherence to routines aimed at preventing bad things from happening, often intersecting with rigid rules and signs of perfectionism.
- Physical Injury Fears: Specific phobic responses to distinct stimuli such as the dark, dogs, insects, or medical procedures.
This instrument is intended for the caregivers of children and adolescents, typically bridging the gap when younger patients cannot easily describe their own automatic thoughts.
When and why to use it
Clinicians utilize the SCAS-P to gather structured collateral information, providing a clearer picture of how the child's anxiety manifests in the home and school environments.
- Intake and baseline assessment: Establishes a comprehensive profile of the child's anxiety across multiple situations, ensuring no domain is overlooked during the initial formulation.
- Bridging the communicative gap: Provides crucial observational data when a child struggles with direct thought monitoring or minimizes their distress.
- Monitoring treatment progress: Offers a reliable, repeatable metric to evaluate whether exposure interventions are successfully translating into observable behavioral changes at home.
- Guiding psychoeducation: Helps clinicians frame the child's somatic complaints and behavioral rigidity as manifestations of underlying cognitive distortions and fear.
By yielding a structured profile rather than just a clinical impression, the SCAS-P allows clinicians to pinpoint the most impairing symptom clusters, facilitating targeted intervention planning and precise progress tracking.
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The questions
- Below is a list of items that describe children. For each item, please select the response that best describes your child. Please answer all the items.1. My child worries about things.Probes the presence of broad, non-specific apprehension.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 2. My child is afraid of the dark.Assesses a common specific phobia related to unlit environments.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 3. When my child has a problem, they complain of a funny feeling in their stomach.Evaluates somatic presentations of distress, specifically gastrointestinal discomfort during difficult situations.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 4. My child complains of being scared.Captures the child's explicit verbalization of fear or distress.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 5. My child is afraid of being home alone.Inquires about separation distress tied to being unaccompanied in the house.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 6. My child is afraid when they have to take a test at school.Measures performance anxiety linked to academic evaluation.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 7. My child is afraid of using public restrooms.Assesses fear associated with using communal or public restrooms.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 8. My child worries about being away from us / me.Identifies core separation anxiety regarding distance from primary caregivers.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 9. My child is afraid of doing embarrassing things in front of other people.Evaluates social anxiety driven by the fear of negative evaluation or humiliation.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 10. My child worries about not doing well in school.Probes academic worry and fear of failure in the school environment.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 11. My child worries that something bad will happen to a member of our family.Captures catastrophic thinking regarding the safety and well-being of family members.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 12. My child complains of suddenly feeling like they have trouble breathing for no reason.Assesses unexpected respiratory panic symptoms occurring without an obvious trigger.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 13. My child has to check that they've done things correctly (like turning off the light or locking the door).Inquires about compulsive checking behaviors aimed at ensuring safety or correctness.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 14. My child is afraid when they have to sleep alone.Explores nighttime separation anxiety and distress when resting alone.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 15. My child has trouble going to school in the morning because they feel nervous or scared.Measures morning school refusal or reluctance driven by anticipatory anxiety.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 16. My child is afraid of dogs.Assesses a specific phobic response directed at dogs.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 17. My child can't seem to get bad or strange thoughts out of their head.Evaluates the presence of persistent, intrusive, or distressing internal imagery.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 18. When my child has a problem, they complain that their heart beats very fast.Identifies cardiovascular somatic symptoms of anxiety during stressful moments.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 19. My child suddenly starts to tremble for no reason.Captures sudden, unexplained physical shaking or trembling characteristic of panic.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 20. My child worries that something bad will happen to them.Probes generalized catastrophic worry about personal safety or future misfortune.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 21. My child is afraid of going to the doctor or the dentist.Assesses medical and dental phobias.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 22. When my child has a problem, they feel shaky.Evaluates subjective feelings of instability or trembling when facing difficulties.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 23. My child is afraid of high places (e.g., being on top of a cliff).Inquires about specific phobic fear related to heights or elevated places.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 24. My child has to think of special things (like numbers or letters) to stop bad things from happening.Captures cognitive rituals or magical thinking used to neutralize perceived threats.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 25. My child is afraid of being in a car, bus, or train.Measures situational anxiety related to vehicular travel and public transportation.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 26. My child worries about what other people think of them.Evaluates social apprehension centered on the judgments of peers or others.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 27. My child is afraid of being in crowds (like in shopping malls, movie theaters, buses, or crowded parks).Assesses agoraphobic fear of being trapped in densely populated environments.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 28. My child suddenly gets very scared for no reason.Identifies sudden, spontaneous surges of intense fear without a clear external trigger.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 29. My child is afraid of insects or spiders.Inquires about a specific phobia directed at insects or arachnids.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 30. My child complains of suddenly feeling dizzy or faint for no reason.Evaluates vestibular panic symptoms, such as dizziness or feeling faint, occurring out of the blue.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 31. My child is scared when they have to speak in front of their class.Measures social phobia specifically tied to public speaking or classroom participation.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 32. My child complains that their heart suddenly starts to beat too fast for no reason.Assesses unexpected tachycardia or racing heart sensations symptomatic of panic.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 33. My child worries about suddenly becoming scared when there is nothing to be afraid of.Probes the anticipatory fear of having a panic attack, commonly known as fear of fear.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 34. My child is afraid of being in small, enclosed spaces, like tunnels or small rooms.Inquires about claustrophobic fears of confined or enclosed spaces.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 35. My child has to do certain things over and over again (like washing their hands, cleaning, or putting things in a certain order).Evaluates behavioral compulsions, such as repetitive washing, cleaning, or ordering.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 36. My child gets upset by bad or strange thoughts or images in their head.Captures the distress caused by unwanted, intrusive thoughts or disturbing mental images.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 37. My child has to do certain things in just the right way to stop bad things from happening.Assesses rigid, perfectionistic compulsions performed to prevent hypothetical negative outcomes.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
- 38. My child is afraid of sleeping away from home.Explores separation anxiety specifically related to overnight stays away from the family home.
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
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