DISCRIMINANT VALIDITY OF SELF-REPORTED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN CHILDREN - NEGATIVE AFFECTIVITY OR INDEPENDENT CONSTRUCTS

Replicated recent investigations in the adult literature regarding the relation between anxiety and depression with a sample of children usi ng sophisticated multivariate analyses. Nonreferred school children we re administered commonly employed self-report measures of anxiety (Rev ised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Invento ry for Children) and depression (Children's Depression Inventory and R eynolds Child Depression Scale). Covariance structure analyses using t he LISREL 7 program investigated whether a one- or two-factor model wo uld best fit the data. A two-factor model was identified as better, ba sed on chi-square and goodness-of-fit indices. Results suggest that th e distinction between anxiety and depression should be maintained.