Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED)
SCARED: Gold standard pediatric anxiety screen (8-18 years). Covers five major anxiety domains.
Child/Parent Version (0/41)
1. When I feel frightened, it is hard to breathe
2. I get headaches when I am at school
3. I don't like to be with people I don't know well
4. I get scared if I sleep away from home
5. I worry about other people liking me
6. When I get frightened, I feel like passing out
7. I am a nervous person
8. I follow my mother or father wherever they go
9. People tell me that I look nervous
10. I feel nervous with people I don't know well
11. I get stomachaches at school
12. When I get frightened, I feel like I am going crazy
13. I worry about sleeping alone
14. I worry about being as good as other kids
15. When I get frightened, I feel like things are not real
16. I have nightmares about something bad happening to my parents
17. I worry about going to school
18. When I get frightened, my heart beats fast
19. I get shaky
20. I have nightmares about something bad happening to me
21. I worry about things working out for me
22. When I get frightened, I sweat a lot
23. I am a worrier
24. I get really frightened for no reason at all
25. I am afraid to be alone in the house
26. It is hard for me to talk to people I don't know
27. When I get frightened, I feel like I am choking
28. People tell me that I worry too much
29. I don't like to be away from my family
30. I am afraid of having anxiety (or panic) attacks
31. I worry that something bad might happen to my parents
32. I feel shy with people I don't know well
33. I worry about what is going to happen in the future
34. When I get frightened, I feel like throwing up
35. I worry about how well I do things
36. I am scared to go to school
37. I worry about things that have already happened
38. When I get frightened, I feel dizzy
39. I feel nervous when I am with other children or adults and I have to do something
40. I feel nervous when I am with other children or adults and I have to do something while they watch me
41. I am shy
Guidelines & Evidence
Clinical Details
Section 1
When to Use
Clinical Utility
Screening for childhood anxiety disorders in children aged 8–18
Differential screening for Panic, GAD, Separation Anxiety, and Social Anxiety
Pediatric and adolescent mental health triage
Longitudinal monitoring of pediatric anxiety symptoms during treatment
Section 2
Formula & Logic
Scoring Logic
41 items assessing 5 sub-scales. Each item is rated 0 (Not true/Hardly true) to 2 (Very true/Often true). A total score of ≥25 is indicative of a clinical anxiety disorder.
Sub-scale Thresholds
Panic Disorder / Somatisation
≥ 7 points
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
≥ 9 points
Separation Anxiety Disorder
≥ 5 points
Social Anxiety Disorder
≥ 8 points
Significant School Avoidance
≥ 3 points
Section 3
Evidence Appraisal
Validation
The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): scale construction and psychometric characteristics.
Birmaher B et al. • J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.. 1997;36(4):545-53. Initial derivation showing robust psychometric properties and discriminant validity.
Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): a replication study.
Birmaher B et al. • J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.. 1999;38(10):1230-6. Confirmed validity across larger pediatric community and clinical samples.
