Evaluation of Psychometric Properties of the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index

Anxiety disorders is one of the most common psychological problems in children. To prevent and treat anxiety, a valid instruments is needed. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of accessing to the valid instruments to prevent, evaluate, and treat childhood anxiety sensitivity.

This research was carried out using the descriptive-survey method. The statistical population consisted of all 10-to-13-year-old, fourth-to-sixth-grade students in Kermanshah in the academic year of 1400-1401. From the target population, 592 students were selected as the study sample, using cluster random sampling method, and responded to the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (Silverman et al., 1991) and the Multidimensional anxiety scale for children (March et al., 1997). Data were analyzed in SPSS-22 and R- 4.0.2 software.

The study indicates that the anxiety sensitivity scale has an acceptable internal consistency (α=0.85); the correlation between the two implementations of this scale within two weeks was in the range of 0.71 to 0.92 (p<0.01). Also, the results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three-factor model of this scale has an appropriate fit in Iranian society.

The Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index in Iran has appropriate psychometric properties and this instrument can be used to assess the degree of the childhood anxiety sensitivity.