Despite the importance of anxiety measuring tools, there is no published data on the factor
analytic structure of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) in South
African adolescents. The present study was an attempt to examine the factor structure of the
MASC in South African adolescents, the factor structure equivalence for boys and girls and
the correlation between MASC scores and scores on the Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ),
Child PTSD Checklist Score, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to establish whether
the MASC distinguishes between anxiety and other constructs.
Available literature indicates that the MASC is invariant across gender and age and it shows
excellent internal reliability and test-retest reliability (March Parker, Sullivan, Stallings &
Comers, 1997). The MASC appears to measure separate dimensions of anxiety, which in turn
makes it ideally suited to discriminate patterns of anxiety in children with anxiety disorders
(Rynn et al., 2005). The MASC also correlates well with other measures of anxiety (Revised
Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale [RCMAS] and Screen of Child Anxiety Related Emotional
Disorders [SCARED]), less so with measures of depression (Children's Depression Inventory
[CDI:]) and not at all with measures of disruptive behaviour (March et al., 1997; Muris,
Merckelbach, Ollendick & King, 2002). Several studies across the world have confirmed the
four-factor structure of the MASC and found its subscales to be reliable in several studies
across the world (Olason, Sighvatsson & Smari, 2004; Rynn et al., 2005).
A sample of 1078 grade 10 adolescents was selected to participate in this study. The
adolescents were from nine different schools, representative of the socio-economic status and
ethnic diversity of the region in the Cape Town metropole (South Africa). Principal
Components Confirmatory Factor Analysis was conducted on MASC scores using a varimax
rotation. Item bias analysis were used to determine gender equivalence and Pearson's
correlation statistics were used to explore the correlation of MASC scores to CTQ, BDI, and
Child PTSD Checklist scores.
The results of the study confirm the MASC four-factor structure and its subscales were found
to be reliable. The MASC performed the best out of four scales measuring anxiety or
depression. Analysis showed that the four-factor structure applies equally well for males and
females. Younger adolescents scored higher than older adolescents on the MASC total scale
and no differences on the MASC total scale were found when comparisons of race were
made. Item bias analysis showed no statistically or practically significant eta-squared (IJ')
value, indicating no gender bias. In general, results in this sample show that the characteristics
of the MASC are similar to the original factor structure found by March et al. (1997). The
MASC appears to measure separate dimensions of anxiety, which in turn should make it
ideally suited to discriminate patterns of anxiety in subgroups of children with anxiety
disorders. It can be concluded that the MASC shows to be a valid and reliable measure of
anxiety for South African adolescents. It can be recommended that the MASC is a clinically
useful and reliable self-report scale for assessing anxiety in children and adolescents. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/777 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Schickerling, Johannes Christiaan |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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