Abstract
The multifactorial nature of anxiety sensitivity (AS) in children has been assessed almost solely with the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI; Silverman et al. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 20(2), 162–168, 1991); however, multiple studies have suggested that the item content of the CASI is too limited to adequately assess multiple AS factors in youth. Here we examined the psychometric properties of the Revised Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI-R; Muris Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40, 299–311, 2002), developed to assess a higher-order global AS factor and four lower-order factors. In a non-clinical sample of youth aged 8–14 we (a) examined the psychometric properties of the CASI-R, comparing findings for children aged 11 and younger with those aged 12 and older, (b) evaluated and compared the internal consistency of the four-factor CASI-R and the three- and four-factor CASI, and (c) examined and compared the convergent validity of the CASI and CASI-R subscales with child-reported anxiety symptoms. Reliability estimates for the CASI-R total, Cardiovascular, and Respiratory scales were high for all youth; the Cognitive Dyscontrol and Publicly Observable Reactions scales yielded low estimates of internal consistency for the younger group. Compared to the parallel CASI scales, these CASI-R scales demonstrated stronger internal consistency in both the older and younger groups. Comparatively larger correlations between the CASI-R physical and cognitive scales with symptoms of panic and between the CASI-R social scale and symptoms of social anxiety were observed. These findings suggest continued use and examination of the CASI-R in child and adolescent non-clinical and clinical samples to comprehensively assess the AS construct in youth.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alkozei, A., Cooper, P. J., & Creswell, C. (2014). Emotional reasoning and anxiety sensitivity: associations with social anxiety disorder in childhood. Journal of Affective Disorders, 152-154, 219–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.09.014.
Allan, N. P., MacPherson, L., Young, K. C., Lejuez, C. W., & Schmidt, N. B. (2014). Examing the latent structure of anxiety sensitivity in adolescents using factor mixture modeling. Psychological Assessment, 26, 741–751. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036744.
Bernstein, A., Zvolensky, M. J., Stewart, S., & Comeau, N. (2007). Taxometric and factor analytic models of anxiety sensitivity among youth: exploring the latent structure of anxiety psychopathology vulnerability. Behavior Therapy, 38, 269–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2006.08.005.
Bilsky, S. A., Feldner, M. T., Knapp, A. A., Rojas, S. M., & Leen-Feldner, E. W. (2016). The roles of sex, anxious reactivity to bodily arousal, and anxiety sensitivity in coping motives for cigarette smoking among adolescents. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 24, 147–155. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000071.
Boswell, J. F., Farchione, T. J., Sauer-Zavala, S., Murray, H. W., Fortune, M. R., & Barlow, D. H. (2013). Anxiety sensitivity and interoceptive exposure: a transdiagnostic construct and change strategy. Behavior Therapy, 44, 417–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2013.03.006.
Brown, H. M., Waszczuk, M. A., Zavos, H. M. S., Trzaskowski, M., Gregory, A. M., & Eley, T. C. (2014). Cognitive content specificity in anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms: a twin study of cross-sectional associations with anxiety sentivitiy dimensions across development. Psychological Medicine, 44, 3469–3480. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291714000828.
Brown, H. M., Meiser-Stedman, R., Woods, H., & Lester, K. J. (2016). Cognitive vulnerabilities for depression and anxiety in childhood: specificity of anxiety sensitivity and rumination. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 44, 30–42. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465814000472.
Chorpita, B. F., & Daleiden, E. L. (2000). Properties of the childhood anxiety sensitivity index in children with anxiety disorders: autonomic and nonautonomic factors. Behavior Therapy, 31, 327–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(00)80018-0.
Chorpita, B. F., Yim, L., Moffitt, C., Umemoto, L. A., & Francis, S. E. (2000). Assessment of symptoms of DSM-IV anxiety and depression in children: a revised child anxiety and depression scale. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38(8), 835–855. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(99)00130-8.
Chorpita, B. F., Moffitt, C. E., & Gray, J. (2005). Psychometric properties of the revised child anxiety and depression scale in a clinical sample. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43(3), 309–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2004.02.004.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.
Dia, D. A., & Bradshaw, W. (2008). Cognitive risk factors to the development of anxiety and depressive disorders in adolescents. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 25, 469–481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-008-0156-7.
Diedenhofen, B., & Musch, J. (2016). Cocron: a web interface and R package for the statistical comparison of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. International Journal of Internet Science, 11, 51–60.
Essau, C. A., Sasagawa, S., & Ollendick, T. H. (2010). The facets of anxiety sensitivity in adolescents. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 24, 23–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.08.001.
Francis, S. E., Noël, V. A., & Ryan, S. L. (2019). The factor structure of anxiety sensitivity among children: current status and recommendations for future directions. Child & Youth Care Forum. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-019-09502-y.
Ginsburg, G. S., & Drake, K. L. (2002). Anxiety sensitivity and panic attach symptomatology among low-income African-American adolescents. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 16, 83–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0887-6185(01)00092-5.
Jokić –Begić, N., Jurin, T., & Korajlija, A. L. (2012). Factor structure and psychometric properties of the modified childhood anxiety sensitivity index in a sample of Croatian children and adolescents. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 34, 126–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-011-9244-7.
Knapp, A. A., Blumenthal, H., Mischel, E. R., Badour, C. L., & Leen-Feldner, E. W. (2016). Anxiety sensitivity and its factors in relation to generalized anxiety disorder among adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 44, 233–244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-015-9991-0.
Lambert, S. F., Cooley, M. R., Campbell, K. D. M., Benoit, M. Z., & Stansbury, R. (2004). Assessing anxiety sensitivity in inner-city African American children: psychometric properties of the childhood anxiety sensitivity index. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33, 248–259. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3302_5.
Lau, J. J., Calamari, J. E., & Waraczynski, M. (1996). Panic attack symptomatology and anxiety sensitivity in adolescents. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 10(5), 355–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/0887-6185(96)00016-3.
Lilienfeld, S. O., Turner, S. M., & Jacob, R. G. (1993). Anxiety sensitivity: an examination of the theoretical and methodological issues. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 15, 147–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/0146-6402(93)90019-X.
Mattis, S. G., & Ollendick, T. H. (1997). Children’s cognitive responses to the somatic symptoms of panic. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25, 45–57. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025707424347.
McLaughlin, K. A., & Hatzenbuehler, M. L. (2009). Stressful life events, anxiety sensitivity, and internalizing symptoms in adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118, 659–669. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016499.
McLaughlin, E. N., Stewart, S. H., & Taylor, S. (2007). Childhood anxiety sensitivity index factors predict unique variance in DSM-IV anxiety disorder symptoms. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 36, 210–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506070701499988.
Muris, P. (2002). An expanded childhood anxiety sensitivity index: its factor structure, reliability, and validity in a non-clinical adolescent sample. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40, 299–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(00)00112-1.
Muris, P., Schmidt, H., Merckelbach, H., & Schouten, E. (2001). Anxiety sensitivity in adolescents: factor structure and relationships to trait anxiety and symptoms of anxiety disorders and depression. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 39, 89–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(99)00179-5.
Naragon-Gainey, K. (2010). Meta-analysis of the relations of anxiety sensitivity to the depressive and anxiety disorders. Psychological Bulletin, 136(1), 128–150. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018055.
Noël, V. A., & Francis, S. E. (2011). A meta-analytic review of the role of child anxiety sensitivity in child anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 39(5), 721–733. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-011-9489-3.
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Olatunji, B. O., & Wolitzky-Taylor, K. (2009). Anxiety sensitivity and the anxiety disorders: A meta-analytic review and synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 135(6), 974–999. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017428.
Rabian, B., Peterson, R. A., Richters, J., & Jensen, P. S. (1993). Anxiety sensitivity among anxious children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 22, 441–446. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp2204_4.
Reiss, S. (1991). Expectancy model of fear, anxiety, and panic. Clinical Psychology Review, 11, 141–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7358(91)90092-9.
Reiss, S., Peterson, R. A., Gursky, D. M., & McNally, R. J. (1986). Anxiety sensitivity, anxiety frequency and the predictions of fearfulness. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 24(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(86)90143-9.
Silverman, W. K., Fleisig, W., Rabian, B., & Peterson, R. A. (1991). Child anxiety sensitivity index. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 20(2), 162–168. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp2002_7.
Silverman, W. K., Ginsburg, G. S., & Goedhart, A. W. (1999). Factor structure of the childhood anxiety sensitivity index. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, 903–917. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(98)00189-2.
Silverman, W. K., Goedhart, A. W., Barrett, P., & Turner, C. (2003). The facets of anxiety sensitivity represented in the childhood anxiety sensitivity index: confirmatory analyses of factor models from past studies. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112, 364–374. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.112.3.364.
Spence, S. H. (1998). A measure of anxiety symptoms among children. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36(5), 545–566. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(98)00034-5.
Spielberger, C. D. (1973). Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory for children. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Stassart, C., & Etienne, A. M. (2014). A French translation of the childhood anxiety sensitivity index (CASI): factor structure, reliability and validity of this scale in a nonclinical sample of children. Psychologica Belgica, 54, 222–241. https://doi.org/10.5334/pb.an.
Stassart, C., Hansez, I., Delvaux, M., Depauw, B., & Etienne, A. M. (2013). A French translation of the revised childhood anxiety sensitivity index (CASI-R): Its factor structure, reliability, and validity in a nonclinical sample of children aged 12 and 13 years old. Psychologica Belgica, 53, 57–74. https://doi.org/10.5334/pb-53-1-57.
Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011). Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 53–55. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4dfb.8dfd.
Taylor, S. (Ed.). (1999). Anxiety sensitivity: Theory, research, and treatment of the fear of anxiety. Mahwah: Erlbaum.
Taylor, S., & Cox, B. J. (1998a). An expanded anxiety sensitivity index: evidence for a hierarchic structure in a clinical sample. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 12, 463–483. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0887-6185(98)00028-0.
Taylor, S., & Cox, B. J. (1998b). Anxiety sensitivity: multiple dimensions and hierarchic structure. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 37–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(97)00071-5.
Taylor, S., Koch, W. J., Woody, S., & McLean, P. (1996). Anxiety sensitivity and depression: How are they related? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105, 474–479. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.105.3.474.
Taylor, S., Zvolensky, M. J., Cox, B. J., Deacon, B., Heimberg, R. G., Ledley, D. R., et al. (2007). Robust dimensions of anxiety sensitivity: development and initial validation of the anxiety sensitivity Index-3. Psychological Assessment, 19, 176–188. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.19.2.176.
van Widenfelt, B. M., Siebelink, B. M., Goedhart, A. W., & Treffers, P. D. A. (2002). The Dutch childhood anxiety sensitivity index: psychometric properties and factor structure. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 31, 90–100. https://doi.org/10.1207/153744202753441701.
Walsh, T. M., Stewart, S. H., McLaughlin, E., & Comeau, N. (2004). Gender differences in childhood anxiety sensitivity index (CASI) dimensions. Anxiety Disorders, 18, 695–706. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0887-6185(03)00043-4.
Weems, C. F., Hammond-Laurence, K., Silverman, W. K., & Ginsburg, G. S. (1998). Testing the utility of the anxiety sensitivity construct in children and adolescents referred for anxiety disorders. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27(1), 69–77. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp2701_8.
Weems, C. F., Hayward, C., Killen, J., & Taylor, C. B. (2002). A longitudinal investigation of anxiety sensitivity in adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 111, 471–477. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.111.3.471.
Weems, C. F., Taylor, L. K., Marks, A. B., & Varela, R. E. (2010). Anxiety sensitivity in childhood and adolescence: parent reports and factors that influence association with child reports. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 34, 303–315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-008-9222-x.
Zinbarg, R. E., Barlow, D. H., & Brown, T. A. (1997). Hierarchical structure and general factor saturation of the anxiety sensitivity index: evidence and implications. Psychological Assessment, 9(3), 277–284. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.9.3.277.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
Sarah E. Francis, Shannon Manley and Susan Doyle declare that she has no conflict of interest.
Research Involving Human Participants
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Appendix
Appendix
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Francis, S.E., Manley, S. & Doyle, S. A Psychometric Evaluation of the Revised Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI-R) in a Child and Adolescent Sample. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 41, 677–691 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-019-09745-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-019-09745-y