Translation, Adaptation and Validation of Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI): A screening Measure for Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to translate, adapt and validate Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI) (Silverman et al., 1991) in Urdu language. CASI is a self-report test for measuring anxiety sensitivity in children and adolescents from 6 to 16 years of age. Anxiety sensitivity is defined as fear of anxiety related bodily sensations due to the belief that these sensations will lead to catastrophic physical, psychological and social outcomes (Reiss, Peterson, Gursky, McNally, 1986). Previous studies have indicated that anxiety sensitivity plays an important role in the etiology, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders like panic disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other pathologies like chronic pain and depression (Anderson & Hope, 2009; Babson & Dixon, 2008; Weems et al., 2002). Studies have also indicated that CASI has good internal consistency .87, test-retest reliability for two weeks (.80), and convergent validity with other self-report measures of anxiety, fear/phobias, and screening tools. It also has good incremental validity over other measures e.g. trait anxiety in predicting children‘s fears (Grinsburg & Drake, 2002; Joiner et al., 2002; Noel & Francis, 201). Based upon existing studies, it was hypothesized that CASI will have moderate to high internal consistency; it will also have moderate to high convergent validity with Screen for Children Anxiety and Emotional Related Disorder (SCARED) parent report and self-report, and Fear Survey Schedule for Children- revised (FSSC-R); medium to high sensitivity and specificity for predicting anxiety disorder against SCARED; and will have a two lower order factor structure. Cross sectional correlational research design was used. Sample was taken from schools (N=217) and orphanages (N=116) setting from 6 to 13 years of age (M=11.43 (1.93). Written informed consent from parents, and assent from children was taken and data