SCARED – Child Anxiety Screening Tool

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SCARED, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders

A 41-item screen for anxiety in children and adolescents aged 8–18. Covers panic, generalised anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, and school avoidance. Five to ten minutes.

This is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. A total score of 25 or above suggests anxiety may be worth a closer look.

For each item, please mark Not True or Hardly Ever True, Somewhat True or Sometimes True, or Very True or Often True for you. Answer based on how you have felt in the last 3 months.
For each item, please mark Not True or Hardly Ever True, Somewhat True or Sometimes True, or Very True or Often True for your child. Answer based on the last 3 months.
1. When I feel frightened, it is hard to breathe
2. I get headaches when I am at school
3. I don’t like to be with people I don’t know well
4. I get scared if I sleep away from home
5. I worry about other people liking me
6. When I get frightened, I feel like passing out
7. I am nervous
8. I follow my mother or father wherever they go
9. People tell me that I look nervous
10. I feel nervous with people I don’t know well
11. I get stomachaches at school
12. When I get frightened, I feel like I am going crazy
13. I worry about sleeping alone
14. I worry about being as good as other kids
15. When I get frightened, I feel like things are not real
16. I have nightmares about something bad happening to my parents
17. I worry about going to school
18. When I get frightened, my heart beats fast
19. I get shaky
20. I have nightmares about something bad happening to me
21. I worry about things working out for me
22. When I get frightened, I sweat a lot
23. I am a worrier
24. I get really frightened for no reason at all
25. I am afraid to be alone in the house
26. It is hard for me to talk with people I don’t know well
27. When I get frightened, I feel like I am choking
28. People tell me that I worry too much
29. I don’t like to be away from my family
30. I am afraid of having anxiety (or panic) attacks
31. I worry that something bad might happen to my parents
32. I feel shy with people I don’t know well
33. I worry about what is going to happen in the future
34. When I get frightened, I feel like throwing up
35. I worry about how well I do things
36. I am scared to go to school
37. I worry about things that have already happened
38. When I get frightened, I feel dizzy
39. I feel nervous when I am with other children or adults and I have to do something while they watch me
40. I feel nervous when I am going to parties, dances, or any place where there will be people I don’t know well
41. I am shy
1. When my child feels frightened, it is hard for him/her to breathe
2. My child gets headaches when at school
3. My child doesn’t like to be with people he/she doesn’t know well
4. My child gets scared if he/she sleeps away from home
5. My child worries about other people liking him/her
6. When my child gets frightened, he/she feels like passing out
7. My child is nervous
8. My child follows me wherever I go
9. People tell me that my child looks nervous
10. My child feels nervous with people he/she doesn’t know well
11. My child gets stomachaches at school
12. When my child gets frightened, he/she feels like going crazy
13. My child worries about sleeping alone
14. My child worries about being as good as other kids
15. When my child gets frightened, he/she feels like things are not real
16. My child has nightmares about something bad happening to his/her parents
17. My child worries about going to school
18. When my child gets frightened, his/her heart beats fast
19. He/she gets shaky
20. My child has nightmares about something bad happening to him/her
21. My child worries about things working out for him/her
22. When my child gets frightened, he/she sweats a lot
23. My child is a worrier
24. My child gets really frightened for no reason at all
25. My child is afraid to be alone in the house
26. It is hard for my child to talk with people he/she doesn’t know well
27. When my child gets frightened, he/she feels like choking
28. People tell me that my child worries too much
29. My child doesn’t like to be away from his/her family
30. My child is afraid of having anxiety (or panic) attacks
31. My child worries that something bad might happen to his/her parents
32. My child feels shy with people he/she doesn’t know well
33. My child worries about what is going to happen in the future
34. When my child gets frightened, he/she feels like throwing up
35. My child worries about how well he/she does things
36. My child is scared to go to school
37. My child worries about things that have already happened
38. When my child gets frightened, he/she feels dizzy
39. My child feels nervous when with other children or adults and has to do something while they watch
40. My child feels nervous going to parties, dances, or places where there will be people he/she doesn’t know well
41. My child is shy

Total Score

0
What this means: SCARED is a screen, not a diagnosis. A total of 25 or above, or any subscale above the cut-off, suggests it may be worth a fuller conversation with a clinician.
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SCARED developed by Boris Birmaher, MD and colleagues at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh. Free for clinical and research use.