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Reliability and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children Among Chinese Secondary School Students

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Abstract

The objective of the current study was to develop a Chinese translation of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) [March (1997) Multidimensional anxiety scale for children: Technical manual, Multi health systems, Toronto, ON], and to evaluate its reliability and validity. The original version of the MASC was translated into Chinese (MASC-C) and administered to 1,538 Chinese adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19. In comparison to the American normative sample [March (1997) Multidimensional anxiety scale for children: Technical manual, Multi health systems, Toronto, ON], Chinese adolescents reported significantly higher scores on the subscales of social anxiety and separation anxiety. Girls reported higher levels of anxiety on all subscales than males. Participants between the ages of 16 and 19 reported higher scores on the physical symptoms and harm avoidance subscales. The MASC-C exhibited strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.91 and the mean inter-item correlation coefficient was 0.20) and moderate test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.84 over a one-month interval). MASC scores inter-correlated a small to moderate degree with measures assessing negative life events and depressive symptoms indicating acceptable convergent validity. The results of confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the four-factor structure of the MASC was suitable for the Chinese sample. The four factor structure was also invariant across sex and age. As the Chinese translation of the MASC indicated high levels of reliability and validity, the MASC-C is appropriate for assessing anxiety in Chinese adolescents.

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Acknowledgments

The research reported in this article was supported by a Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation (CPRF) Award and a McGill University Sabbatic Leave Research Grant awarded to John R. Z. Abela.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Medical Psychological Research Center, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, P.R. China

    Shuqiao Yao, Tao Zou & Xiongzhao Zhu

  2. Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    John R. Z. Abela, Randy P. Auerbach & Xi Tong

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  1. Shuqiao Yao
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  2. Tao Zou
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  3. Xiongzhao Zhu
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  4. John R. Z. Abela
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Correspondence to Shuqiao Yao.

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Yao, S., Zou, T., Zhu, X. et al. Reliability and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children Among Chinese Secondary School Students. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 38, 1–16 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-006-0039-0

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