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Reliability of Anxiety Symptoms in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Kaat, Aaron J.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1417702042

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Psychology.
This study examined the reliability and validity of 2 self- and parent-report measures of anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children-2 (MASC-2) and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS). Convergent and divergent validity was also evaluated with the parent-completed Children Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4). The psychometric properties of these scales largely have not been examined in the ASD population. The second purpose of this study was to elucidate the presentation of anxiety in ASD. This was done by examining the impact of age, sex, IQ, social cognition, and ASD severity on agreement between child- and parent-report and on anxiety severity. Youth participated in an assessment lasting up to 3 hours, which confirmed ASD diagnosis, measured estimated IQ and social cognition, and had the youth complete rating scales. Parents also completed demographics forms and rating scales. After approximately 2 weeks, parents were asked to complete the MASC-2 and RCADS a second time to assess test-retest reliability. There were 45 youth—parent dyads in the study. Data were available for 28 parents (62%) for test-retest reliability. The internal consistency of most subscales was acceptable (a > .70 for all but 6 subscales) for both parent- and self-report. Inter-rater reliability was poor. The average correlation between raters on similar subscales and the total scores was small (mean r = .25). However, test-retest reliability for parent-report was excellent (mean r = .84). Evidence for convergent and divergent validity varied by informant. Parent ratings agreed well between scales, including with the CSI-4, but self-reported anxiety correlated poorly with all other measured variables. Additionally there was little evidence for distinct anxiety disorders. Most individuals either obtained high scores on all or on no subscales. A secondary aim of this study was to examine the phenomenology of anxiety in ASD. In general, parents rated the youth higher than the youth rated themselves. Obsessive-compulsive (OCD) symptoms were an exception, with youth reporting more severe OCD symptoms than parents. No child demographic characteristic was significantly associated with parent-rated anxiety. Increased ASD severity, however, was related to increased self-reported anxiety on the MASC-2, and younger age was associated with more severe anxiety on the self-reported RCADS. Overall this study found high rates of anxiety in ASD. The MASC-2 and RCADS had sufficient reliability within raters, but poor agreement between raters. Thus when possible, both parent- and self-report should be sought. Youth self-reported anxiety should not be used alone. Significant concerns regarding construct validity between ASD and nonASD populations remain for these scales. OCD in particular behaved differently than other constructs. This study also presents several other clinical observations and recommendations for future research.
Luc Lecavalier, PhD (Advisor)
Michael Vasey, PhD (Committee Member)
Marc Tasse, PhD (Committee Member)
Betsey Benson, PhD (Committee Member)
137 p.
Psychological Tests; Psychology
Autism; ASD; psychometrics; reliability; anxiety

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kaat, A. J. (2014). Reliability of Anxiety Symptoms in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1417702042

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kaat, Aaron. Reliability of Anxiety Symptoms in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder. 2014. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1417702042.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kaat, Aaron. "Reliability of Anxiety Symptoms in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1417702042

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1417702042
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.