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The Parent-Version of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS-P) in Chinese and Italian Community Samples: Validation and Cross-Cultural Comparison

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Abstract

The current study aimed to validate the parent-version of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS-P) among Chinese and Italian community adolescents and to compare adolescents’ anxiety symptoms in these two countries. Chinese (N = 456) and Italian (N = 452) adolescents and their parents participated in the study. Results showed that: (1) the six correlated-factor structure was demonstrated and invariant across countries. (2) The reliability of the total scale was good in both samples, whereas reliabilities of subscales were acceptable and moderate in Chinese and Italian samples, respectively. (3) The SCAS-P showed good convergent and divergent validity. (4) Adolescent–parent agreement was from low to medium while mother–father agreement ranged from medium to high. (5) There were cultural and gender differences in levels of parent-report anxiety symptoms. In conclusion, SCAS-P seems to be a promising parent-report instrument to assess Chinese and Italian adolescents’ anxiety symptoms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Jian-Bin Li, Elisa Delvecchio, Daniela Di Riso & Adriana Lis

  2. School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Yan-Gang Nie

  3. Cantonese Psychological and Behavioral Research Center of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Yan-Gang Nie

Authors
  1. Jian-Bin Li
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  2. Elisa Delvecchio
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  3. Daniela Di Riso
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  4. Yan-Gang Nie
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  5. Adriana Lis
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Correspondence to Jian-Bin Li.

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Li, JB., Delvecchio, E., Di Riso, D. et al. The Parent-Version of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS-P) in Chinese and Italian Community Samples: Validation and Cross-Cultural Comparison. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 47, 369–383 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-015-0572-9

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