title: Adapting the Sheehan disability scale to assess child and parent impairment related to childhood anxiety disorders.
abstract: This study describes a child adaptation of the Sheehan Disability Scale, a measure of impairment among anxious adults. Parallel child and parent report forms were created to assess the degree to which anxiety interferes with child and parent social, educational/occupational, and family functioning. Data from 267 anxious children (140 boys ages 5-19) and their parents collected during a diagnostic assessment were compared to data from 85 children (47 boys ages 9-18) from the community collected by mail. The validity of the Child Sheehan Disability Scale (CSDS) report forms were supported by correlations with interview and self-report measures of related constructs, as well as differences between children with and without anxiety disorders. The sensitivity of the CSDS to treatment effects was demonstrated in a subset of the clinical sample. Logistical regression suggested that the CSDS contributes unique variance beyond symptom severity for identifying children who present for treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. whiteside.stephen@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Stephen P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Whiteside
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D055815:Young Adult