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A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis of the revised children's anxiety and depression scale (RCADS) in Spain, Chile and Sweden

Cervin, Matti LU ; Veas, Alejandro ; Piqueras, Jose and Martínez-González, Agustín (2022) In Journal of Affective Disorders 310. p.228-234
Abstract
Background
There is a need for a measure that can be used across countries and cultures to advance cross-cultural research about internalizing mental health symptoms in children and adolescents. The Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) is a potential candidate, but no study has examined whether its scales are measured similarly in youth populations from different countries.

Methods
In this study, we use confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group CFA to examine the cross-cultural properties of a short and free to use 30-item version of RCADS that assesses social, generalized, panic, and separation anxiety alongside depression and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. We tested the factor structure of... (More)
Background
There is a need for a measure that can be used across countries and cultures to advance cross-cultural research about internalizing mental health symptoms in children and adolescents. The Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) is a potential candidate, but no study has examined whether its scales are measured similarly in youth populations from different countries.

Methods
In this study, we use confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group CFA to examine the cross-cultural properties of a short and free to use 30-item version of RCADS that assesses social, generalized, panic, and separation anxiety alongside depression and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. We tested the factor structure of RCADS in children and adolescents from Chile, Spain, and Sweden, recruited using different research designs (i.e., school-based studies and an anonymous web survey), and whether the factor structure showed measurement invariance across the three countries.

Results
The proposed factor structure of RCADS showed good model/data fit in all three countries and was superior to a unidimensional model in which correlations among scale items were explained by a single broad internalizing factor. Each RCADS subscale showed adequate to excellent internal consistency in all three countries and multi-group CFA supported scalar invariance across the three countries.

Limitations
No clinical sample was included.

Conclusions
This study provides an important first step in supporting the use of RCADS in cross-cultural research on depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in children and adolescents, but more work on validity aspects of the scale across cultures is needed. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Affective Disorders
volume
310
pages
7 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85129957982
  • pmid:35561880
ISSN
0165-0327
DOI
10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.031
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
df8cf21d-263e-4d56-b536-b2abaf8a037d
date added to LUP
2022-05-11 14:55:05
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:05:27
@article{df8cf21d-263e-4d56-b536-b2abaf8a037d,
  abstract     = {{Background<br/>There is a need for a measure that can be used across countries and cultures to advance cross-cultural research about internalizing mental health symptoms in children and adolescents. The Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) is a potential candidate, but no study has examined whether its scales are measured similarly in youth populations from different countries.<br/><br/>Methods<br/>In this study, we use confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group CFA to examine the cross-cultural properties of a short and free to use 30-item version of RCADS that assesses social, generalized, panic, and separation anxiety alongside depression and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. We tested the factor structure of RCADS in children and adolescents from Chile, Spain, and Sweden, recruited using different research designs (i.e., school-based studies and an anonymous web survey), and whether the factor structure showed measurement invariance across the three countries.<br/><br/>Results<br/>The proposed factor structure of RCADS showed good model/data fit in all three countries and was superior to a unidimensional model in which correlations among scale items were explained by a single broad internalizing factor. Each RCADS subscale showed adequate to excellent internal consistency in all three countries and multi-group CFA supported scalar invariance across the three countries.<br/><br/>Limitations<br/>No clinical sample was included.<br/><br/>Conclusions<br/>This study provides an important first step in supporting the use of RCADS in cross-cultural research on depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in children and adolescents, but more work on validity aspects of the scale across cultures is needed.}},
  author       = {{Cervin, Matti and Veas, Alejandro and Piqueras, Jose and Martínez-González, Agustín}},
  issn         = {{0165-0327}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  pages        = {{228--234}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Affective Disorders}},
  title        = {{A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis of the revised children's anxiety and depression scale (RCADS) in Spain, Chile and Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.031}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.031}},
  volume       = {{310}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}