The Kutcher Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder Scale for Adolescents: Assessment of its Evaluative Properties Over the Course of a 16-Week Pediatric Psychopharmacotherapy Trial

Abstract

Objective:

This study investigated the psychometric properties of a new clinician-rated scale designed to assess the severity of social phobia and measure treatment outcome in adolescents: the Kutcher Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder Scale for Adolescents (K-GSADS-A).

Methods:

Two hundred fifty-one (251) adolescents (11–17 years; mean age 14.2 years) with DSM-IV social phobia enrolled in a multicenter, 16-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of paroxetine. Efficacy assessments were conducted at baseline and at weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 with the K-GSADS-A, three other clinician-rated scales (including the Clinical Global Impression of Severity scale), and a self-rated social phobia scale. Additionally, the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement scale was administered at each postbaseline assessment, and the Children's Depression Rating Scale—Revised was administered at baseline and at week 16. These data were used to assess the internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity, and sensitivity to change of the K-GSADS-A.

Results:

The internal consistency of the K-GSADS-A was adequate, and supportive evidence was obtained for its convergent validity with other severity measures, and its divergent validity with respect to depression. The K-GSADS-A also demonstrated good sensitivity to changes in severity.

Conclusions:

These results suggest that the K-GSADS-A is a valid measure of treatment outcome in adolescents with DSM-IV social phobia.