Important Disclaimer
This screening tool is for educational purposes and is not a diagnosis. It is designed for children and teenagers aged about 8 to 18. If a child is talking about hurting themselves or not wanting to be alive, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or go to the nearest emergency room.
What This Assessment Measures
- Panic and physical symptoms of fear (racing heart, dizziness, trouble breathing)
- Generalized worry about the future, performance and what others think
- Separation anxiety: fear of being away from parents or sleeping alone
- Social anxiety with unfamiliar people and being watched
- School avoidance: headaches, stomachaches and fear around school
41
Questions
5–7
Minutes
100%
Confidential
The 41 Questions
Every question is answered on the same scale: Not true or hardly ever true, Somewhat true or sometimes true, Very true or often true.
- When I feel frightened, it is hard to breathe.
- I get headaches when I am at school.
- I don't like to be with people I don't know well.
- I get scared if I sleep away from home.
- I worry about other people liking me.
- When I get frightened, I feel like passing out.
- I am nervous.
- I follow my mother or father wherever they go.
- People tell me that I look nervous.
- I feel nervous with people I don't know well.
- I get stomachaches at school.
- When I get frightened, I feel like I am going crazy.
- I worry about sleeping alone.
- I worry about being as good as other kids.
- When I get frightened, I feel like things are not real.
- I have nightmares about something bad happening to my parents.
- I worry about going to school.
- When I get frightened, my heart beats fast.
- I get shaky.
- I have nightmares about something bad happening to me.
- I worry about things working out for me.
- When I get frightened, I sweat a lot.
- I am a worrier.
- I get really frightened for no reason at all.
- I am afraid to be alone in the house.
- It is hard for me to talk with people I don't know well.
- When I get frightened, I feel like I am choking.
- People tell me that I worry too much.
- I don't like to be away from my family.
- I am afraid of having anxiety (or panic) attacks.
- I worry that something bad might happen to my parents.
- I feel shy with people I don't know well.
- I worry about what is going to happen in the future.
- When I get frightened, I feel like throwing up.
- I worry about how well I do things.
- I am scared to go to school.
- I worry about things that have already happened.
- When I get frightened, I get dizzy.
- I feel nervous when I am with other children or adults and I have to do something while they watch me (for example: read aloud, speak, play a game, play a sport).
- I feel nervous when I am going to parties, dances, or any place where there will be people that I don't know well.
- I am shy.
About the SCARED (child)
The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) was developed by Dr. Boris Birmaher and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh in 1997 and refined in 1999. It is one of the most widely used anxiety screeners for children and teenagers aged roughly 8 to 18, and the instrument is free to use. There are two matching versions: this one, which the young person answers about themselves, and a parent version answered about the child. Clinicians usually look at both, because children and parents often notice different things.
The 41 items are scored 0, 1 or 2 and add up to a total out of 82. A total of 25 or more is the cutoff the authors use for a probable anxiety disorder. The items also sort into five subscales, each with its own cutoff: panic or somatic symptoms (7 or more), generalized anxiety (9 or more), separation anxiety (5 or more), social anxiety (8 or more) and school avoidance (3 or more). The subscales matter more than the total: a child can be well under 25 overall and still score high on separation anxiety alone, and that pattern tells a clinician where to look.
The SCARED is a screen, not a diagnosis. It does well at telling anxiety apart from depression and from attention problems, but only a clinical interview can confirm an anxiety disorder.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the SCARED scored?+
Each of the 41 items is rated 0 (not true or hardly ever true), 1 (somewhat true or sometimes true) or 2 (very true or often true), for a total out of 82. A total of 25 or more suggests a probable anxiety disorder. Five subscales have their own cutoffs: panic/somatic 7 or more, generalized anxiety 9 or more, separation anxiety 5 or more, social anxiety 8 or more, and school avoidance 3 or more.
What ages is the SCARED for?+
It was developed and validated for children and adolescents aged 8 to 18. Younger children usually need a parent to answer for them.
Should the child or the parent fill it out?+
Both, ideally. The child and parent versions use the same 41 items, and the two scores often differ. Parents tend to see avoidance and physical complaints; children report the worry itself. A clinician reads them side by side.
Is a score above 25 a diagnosis?+
No. It means an anxiety disorder is more likely and worth a proper evaluation. Only a clinician can diagnose, and many children above the cutoff turn out to have a specific, very treatable type of anxiety rather than a general problem.
What happens if my child screens positive?+
Talk to a pediatrician or a child therapist. Childhood anxiety is one of the most treatable conditions in mental health; cognitive behavioral therapy, often with parent sessions, is the usual first-line treatment. Crown Counseling offers child and teen therapy in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and online across New York State.
Are the answers stored?+
No. Everything stays in the browser. Nothing is sent to a server unless you choose to email the result to yourself.
References
- Birmaher B, Khetarpal S, Brent D, et al. The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): scale construction and psychometric characteristics. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997;36(4):545-553.
- Birmaher B, Brent DA, Chiappetta L, Bridge J, Monga S, Baugher M. Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): a replication study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1999;38(10):1230-1236.
- Hale WW, Crocetti E, Raaijmakers QA, Meeus WH. A meta-analysis of the cross-cultural psychometric properties of the SCARED. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2011;52(1):80-90.
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry. SCARED instrument and scoring (available free of charge for use).