Does it hold promise? Measuring pediatric anxiety via PROMIS vs the clinically validated SCARED

ABSTRACT

Screening for anxiety is common in pediatric medical clinics given the high rates and impact on physical health. The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) and Promis Pediatric Anxiety Short Form (PROMIS-PA) are two frequently used screeners; however, the PROMIS-PA’s psychometric properties are largely unknown in youth presenting to sub-specialty care. As such, the present study examined the PROMIS-PA’s clinical validity and utility in comparison to the SCARED’s in 6,926 youth presenting to gastroenterology care. A derived clinical cut-point on the PROMIS-PA (≥ 51) was established and tested against the SCARED. Suggested usage of these measures in pediatric medical settings is discussed.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Due to multiple institutions involvement, data management policies, and this being an understudied pediatric population at risk for identification, the dataset is not available for public use. Deidentified data may be shared upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Sharon S. Keller American Pain Society Grant (awarded to NRC), the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Place Outcomes Award (awarded to NRC), and an early career award from the National Institutes of Health/NCCIH (grant no. K23 AT009458; awarded to NRC). The first author’s time preparing this manuscript was supported by a training grant (grant no. T32HD068223) from the National Institutes of Health/NICHD. None of the aforementioned funders had a role in the design or conduct of the study.