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. 2018 Sep-Dec;18(3):264-272.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2018.07.002. Epub 2018 Aug 22.

Validation of the Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety-Revised and school refusal across anxiety profiles

Aitana Fernández-Sogorb  1 , Cándido J Inglés  2 , Ricardo Sanmartín  1 , Carolina Gonzálvez  1 , María Vicent  1 , Y José Manuel García-Fernández  1
Affiliations

Validation of the Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety-Revised and school refusal across anxiety profiles

Aitana Fernández-Sogorb et al. Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2018 Sep-Dec.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Background/objectives: This paper aimed to validate the Spanish version of scores of the Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety-Revised (VAA-R) in child population, and to verify the existence of anxiety profiles and to relate them to school refusal.

Method: The sample was made up of 911 Spanish students between 8 and 12 years old (M = 9.61, SD = 1.23). The measures used were the VAA-R and the School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised for Children (SRAS-R-C).

Results: Confirmatory factorial analysis supported the three-dimensional VAA-R structure: Anticipatory Anxiety (AA), School-based performance Anxiety (SA) and Generalized Anxiety (GA). The VAA-R has an adequate reliability and structural invariance across sex and age. No latent mean differences were found across sex, but did occur through age in AA and GA factors. Cluster analysis identified four child anxiety profiles: High Anxiety, High Anxiety School-type, Low Anxiety, and Moderate Anxiety, which differed significantly in all dimensions of school refusal.

Conclusions: These findings may be useful for the assessment and treatment of anxious symptoms originated at school.

Antecedentes/objetivos: Este trabajo tuvo como objetivo validar la versión española de las puntuaciones de la Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety-Revised (VAA-R) en población infantil, y comprobar la existencia de perfiles de ansiedad y relacionarlos con el rechazo escolar.

Método: La muestra estuvo conformada por 911 alumnos españoles entre 8 y 12 años (M = 9,61; DT = 1,23). Las medidas usadas fueron la VAA-R y la School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised for Children (SRAS-R-C).

Resultados: El análisis factorial confirmatorio apoyó la estructura tridimensional de la VAA-R: Ansiedad Anticipatoria (AA), Ansiedad de ejecución en la Escuela (AE) y Ansiedad Generalizada (AG). La VAA-R posee una adecuada fiabilidad e invarianza estructural en función del sexo y de la edad. No se encontraron diferencias de medias latentes en función del sexo, pero sí a través de la edad en los factores AA y AG. Los análisis de conglomerados identificaron cuatro perfiles de ansiedad infantil: Alta Ansiedad, Alta Ansiedad de tipo Escolar, Baja Ansiedad y Moderada Ansiedad, que difirieron significativamente en todas las dimensiones de rechazo escolar.

Conclusiones: Estos hallazgos pueden resultar útiles para la evaluación y el tratamiento de síntomas ansiosos originados en la escuela.

Keywords: Ansiedad; Anxiety; VAA-R; estudio cuasi experimental; estudio instrumental; instrumental study; quasi-experimental study; rechazo escolar; school refusal.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Graphic representation of the four child anxiety profiles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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