Adaptation of the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety for Use in Children: A Preliminary Analysis

J Pediatr Psychol. 2016 Oct;41(9):1033-43. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsw030. Epub 2016 Apr 25.

Abstract

Objective: Anxiety has both state/trait and cognitive/somatic dimensions, and these distinctions may be particularly relevant for children with medical problems. This two-part study adapted the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA) and confirmed its factor structure in a sample of children in a primary care clinic.

Methods: STICSA items were adapted for reading level and piloted in a small group of children. Next, 250 children (12.3 ± 2.7 years) completed the adapted version, the STICSA-C.

Results: Separate confirmatory factor analyses conducted on the State and Trait forms of the STICSA-C confirmed the two-factor structure of the original measure (i.e., cognitive and somatic anxiety) and suggested an improved parsimonious model.

Conclusions: Support was found for use of the STICSA-C as a reasonably good internally consistent measure for assessing cognitive and somatic anxiety in pediatric samples. Further investigation of its reliability and validity with replication in pediatric populations is warranted.

Keywords: anxiety; assessment; children; chronic illness.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anxiety / diagnosis*
  • Anxiety / psychology
  • Child
  • Chronic Disease
  • Cognition
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales*
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results