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    Paediatric general · 47 items · 0–141

    Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale: Scoring, Cutoffs & Interpretation

    Youth self-report of anxiety and depression across six subscales.

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    Usage conditions apply. RCADS © 1998 Bruce F. Chorpita and Susan H. Spence. Hosted with the written permission of the rights holder; free of charge and never behind a paywall. Please do not resell or paywall this content.

    RCADS0 / 47

    Please choose the word that shows how often each of these things happens to you. There are no right or wrong answers.

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    01I worry about things
    02I feel sad or empty
    03When I have a problem, I get a funny feeling in my stomach
    04I worry when I think I have done poorly at something
    05I would feel afraid of being on my own at home
    06Nothing is much fun anymore
    07I feel scared when I have to take a test
    08I feel worried when I think someone is angry with me
    09I worry about being away from my parents
    10I get bothered by bad or silly thoughts or pictures in my mind
    11I have trouble sleeping
    12I worry that I will do badly at my school work
    13I worry that something awful will happen to someone in my family
    14I suddenly feel as if I can't breathe when there is no reason for this
    15I have problems with my appetite
    16I have to keep checking that I have done things right (like the switch is off, or the door is locked)
    17I feel scared if I have to sleep on my own
    18I have trouble going to school in the mornings because I feel nervous or afraid
    19I have no energy for things
    20I worry I might look foolish
    21I am tired a lot
    22I worry that bad things will happen to me
    23I can't seem to get bad or silly thoughts out of my head
    24When I have a problem, my heart beats really fast
    25I cannot think clearly
    26I suddenly start to tremble or shake when there is no reason for this
    27I worry that something bad will happen to me
    28When I have a problem, I feel shaky
    29I feel worthless
    30I worry about making mistakes
    31I have to think of special thoughts (like numbers or words) to stop bad things from happening
    32I worry what other people think of me
    33I am afraid of being in crowded places (like shopping centers, the movies, buses, busy playgrounds)
    34All of a sudden I feel really scared for no reason at all
    35I worry about what is going to happen
    36I suddenly become dizzy or faint when there is no reason for this
    37I think about death
    38I feel afraid if I have to talk in front of my class
    39My heart suddenly starts to beat too quickly for no reason
    40I feel like I don't want to move
    41I worry that I will suddenly get a scared feeling when there is nothing to be afraid of
    42I have to do some things over and over again (like washing my hands, cleaning or putting things in a certain order)
    43I feel afraid that I will make a fool of myself in front of people
    44I have to do some things in just the right way to stop bad things from happening
    45I worry when I go to bed at night
    46I would feel scared if I had to stay away from home overnight
    47I feel restless
    0 of 47 answered

    Scoring & cutoffs

    How scoring works.

    Items are rated 0 (never) to 3 (always). Raw subscale and total scores are converted to age- and gender-adjusted T-scores, with a T-score around 65 marking a borderline clinical threshold and 70 or above a clinical threshold.

    Separation anxiety

    7 items · 0–21

    Items 5, 9, 17, 18, 33, 45, 46

    Generalised anxiety

    6 items · 0–18

    Items 1, 13, 22, 27, 35, 37

    Panic

    9 items · 0–27

    Items 3, 14, 24, 26, 28, 34, 36, 39, 41

    Social phobia

    9 items · 0–27

    Items 4, 7, 8, 12, 20, 30, 32, 38, 43

    Obsessive-compulsive

    6 items · 0–18

    Items 10, 16, 23, 31, 42, 44

    Low mood (depression)

    10 items · 0–30

    Items 2, 6, 11, 15, 19, 21, 25, 29, 40, 47

    Total anxiety

    37 items · 0–111

    Items 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46

    Total anxiety and depression

    47 items · 0–141

    Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47

    These are raw scores. Clinical thresholds apply to age- and gender-adjusted T-scores (65 borderline, 70 or above clinical); convert using the norm tables in the RCADS User's Guide.

    The clinician's brief

    What this scale measures.

    The RCADS is a 47-item questionnaire for young people aged roughly 8 to 18, with parallel child and parent versions. It covers six subscales: separation anxiety, social phobia, generalised anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and major depression, alongside broad anxiety and depression totals.

    How licensing works.

    RCADS © 1998 Bruce F. Chorpita and Susan H. Spence. Hosted with the written permission of the rights holder; free of charge and never behind a paywall. Please do not resell or paywall this content.

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