The Kutcher Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder Scale for Adolescents: assessment of its evaluative properties over the course of a 16-week pediatric psychopharmacotherapy trial.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the psychometric properties of a new clinician-rated scale designed to assess the severity of social phobia and measure treatment outcome in adolescents: the Kutcher Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder Scale for Adolescents (K-GSADS-A).


METHODS
Two hundred fifty-one (251) adolescents (11-17 years; mean age 14.2 years) with DSM-IV social phobia enrolled in a multicenter, 16-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of paroxetine. Efficacy assessments were conducted at baseline and at weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 with the K-GSADS-A, three other clinician-rated scales (including the Clinical Global Impression of Severity scale), and a self-rated social phobia scale. Additionally, the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement scale was administered at each postbaseline assessment, and the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised was administered at baseline and at week 16. These data were used to assess the internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity, and sensitivity to change of the K-GSADS-A.


RESULTS
The internal consistency of the K-GSADS-A was adequate, and supportive evidence was obtained for its convergent validity with other severity measures, and its divergent validity with respect to depression. The K-GSADS-A also demonstrated good sensitivity to changes in severity.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the K-GSADS-A is a valid measure of treatment outcome in adolescents with DSM-IV social phobia.
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, 5909 Veterans' Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2E2, Canada.
Sarah J
SJ
Brooks
Stan
S
Kutcher
D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D017374:Paroxetine