Assessment of anxiety disorders in asthmatic children

The study's objective was to determine whether the State Trait Anxiety Inve ntory for Children, Trait version (STAIC), is suitable for the assessment o f DSM-IV anxiety disorders in asthmatic children and adolescents. Ninety-tw o outpatients,were given a semistructured diagnostic interview. They comple ted STAIC; another questionnaire about anxiety the Echelle Comportementale d'Anxiete et de Peurs (ECAP); and the Child Depression Inventory! The paren ts filled in the Child Behavior Check-List (CBCL) and the Conners Parent Ra ting Scale (CPRS). A group of healthy children was assessed with STAIC. Thi rty asthmatic children had anxiety disorders. They had significantly higher STAIC scores than the nonanxious asthmatic and the nonasthmatic children. STAIC scores were independent of age and sex and were correlated with ECAP: CPRS anxiety subscore, CBCL total score, internalizing score, and CBCL anx iety-depression subscore. Internal consistency was 0.75. With a threshold v alue of 34 for anxiety disorders, this,method had a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 70%. STAIC was thus a useful method for anxiety disorder s creening in a pediatric population.