Assessment of anxiety and depression in young children: support for two separate constructs

J Clin Child Psychol. 2000 Sep;29(3):383-91. doi: 10.1207/S15374424JCCP2903_9.

Abstract

Validated the interrelatedness of depression and anxiety in young children by testing four latent factor models: dual construct, unrelated; dual construct, correlated; single construct; and second-order or higher order analysis to test that depression and anxiety are primary constructs under the higher order factor of general affective distress. Children (N = 86) were ages 6 to 11, with mothers who were HIV-symptomatic or diagnosed with AIDS. Depression and anxiety measures included the Children's Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1992), selected items from the Dominic-R (Valla, Bergeron, Berube, Gaudet, & St-Georges, 1994), and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (Reynolds & Richmond, 1985). Structural equation modeling was used to test the models. Model 2 (dual construct, correlated) fit the data better than did Models 1 and 3; results for the higher order model were identical to Model 2, suggesting the higher order model is equivalent to the dual-construct model.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Anxiety Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology
  • Child
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Depressive Disorder / diagnosis*
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Models, Psychological*
  • Mother-Child Relations
  • Psychometrics