TY - JOUR
T1 - The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents
T2 - An initial psychometric investigation
AU - Masia-Warner, Carrie
AU - Storch, Eric A.
AU - Pincus, Donna B.
AU - Klein, Rachel G.
AU - Heimberg, Richard G.
AU - Liebowitz, Michael R.
PY - 2003/9
Y1 - 2003/9
N2 - Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of a newly developed clinician rating scale, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (LSAS-CA), Method: A total of 154 children and adolescents participated in an assessment consisting of a diagnostic interview, the LSAS-CA, and other measures of psychopathology and impairment. Sixty-one of these children also participated in a second LSAS-CA administration, by a different rater blind to diagnosis, within 7 days of the initial assessment. Results: High internal consistency (α = .90-.97 for full sample and .S3-.95 for social phobia group) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.89-0.94) were obtained for LSAS-CA total and subscale scores. LSAS-CA scores had stronger associations with measures of social anxiety and general impairment than with a measure of depression. Subjects with social anxiety disorder had significantly higher LSAS-CA scores than subjects with other anxiety disorders and healthy controls. A LSAS-CA cutoff score of 22.5 represented the best balance of sensitivity and specificity when distinguishing between individuals with social phobia and normal controls, whereas a cutoff of 29.5 was optimal for distinguishing social phobia from other anxiety disorders. Conclusion: Initial findings suggest that the LSAS-CA is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of social anxiety disorder.
AB - Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of a newly developed clinician rating scale, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (LSAS-CA), Method: A total of 154 children and adolescents participated in an assessment consisting of a diagnostic interview, the LSAS-CA, and other measures of psychopathology and impairment. Sixty-one of these children also participated in a second LSAS-CA administration, by a different rater blind to diagnosis, within 7 days of the initial assessment. Results: High internal consistency (α = .90-.97 for full sample and .S3-.95 for social phobia group) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.89-0.94) were obtained for LSAS-CA total and subscale scores. LSAS-CA scores had stronger associations with measures of social anxiety and general impairment than with a measure of depression. Subjects with social anxiety disorder had significantly higher LSAS-CA scores than subjects with other anxiety disorders and healthy controls. A LSAS-CA cutoff score of 22.5 represented the best balance of sensitivity and specificity when distinguishing between individuals with social phobia and normal controls, whereas a cutoff of 29.5 was optimal for distinguishing social phobia from other anxiety disorders. Conclusion: Initial findings suggest that the LSAS-CA is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of social anxiety disorder.
KW - Clinician-rated
KW - Reliability
KW - Social phobia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0141905037&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/01.CHI.0000070249.24125.89
DO - 10.1097/01.CHI.0000070249.24125.89
M3 - Article
C2 - 12960707
AN - SCOPUS:0141905037
SN - 0890-8567
VL - 42
SP - 1076
EP - 1084
JO - Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
JF - Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
IS - 9
ER -
