The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC): Confirmatory factor analysis in a pediatric ADHD sample

Abstract

While considerable attention has been paid to discriminating attention-deficit/hyperactivity and anxiety disorders, there are as yet no published confirmatory factor analytic studies of any self-report anxiety scale in ADHD youth. The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) is a 39-item, 4-point Likert self-report scale that robustly represents the factor structure of anxiety in children aged 8 to 18 years. Using confirmatory factor analytic methods, the present paper reports a replication of the four-factor measurement model for the MASC in a large sample of ADHD youth aged 7 to 10 years. The fit indices proved to be comparable to those obtained in the MASC clinical and non-clinical (normative) samples. Clinically, therefore, this report strengthens confidence that the MASC is a valid measure of anxiety in diverse populations. With respect to research, it provides supporting evidence that results obtained using the MASC in the MTA and other research studies reflect valid estimates of anxiety in those samples.

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