Predicting anxiety diagnoses with the Youth Self-Report

Abstract

Empirical studies that assess which items of the Youth Self-Report (YSR) are the best predictors of anxiety disorders in adolescents are lacking, whereas several attempts have been made to construct an anxiety scale for the YSR. It is important to gap the bridge between existing YSR and DSM-IV diagnostic constructs. My objective in this study was to investigate which YSR items or scales can be used best to predict anxiety disorders in adolescents. In a referred 183-subject sample of 11- to 18-year-olds, we examined which YSR items and scales predicted DSM-IV anxiety diagnoses assessed with the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children (ADIS-C). Several items that predicted anxiety disorders were not included in existing anxiety scales of the YSR. Scale scores based on these items were stronger predictors of DSM-IV anxiety disorders than existing anxiety scales. Testing empirically which YSR items predict DSM-IV diagnoses may enhance the usefulness of the YSR for predicting anxiety disorders in clinical practice.