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Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale
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About Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale
Scale Name
Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale
Author Details
Cecil R. Reynolds and Bert O. Richmond
Translation Availability
Background/Description
In the late 1950s, recognizing the need for a reliable tool to assess anxiety in children, Castaneda, McCandless, and Palermo developed the Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (CMAS). While groundbreaking, the CMAS lacked scope and precision in addressing the evolving understanding of childhood anxiety. Enter Cecil R. Reynolds and Bert O. Richmond. Recognizing the CMAS’ potential but yearning for greater depth, they embarked on a thorough revision that culminated in the birth of the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) in 1978.
The RCMAS aimed to surpass its predecessor in key ways. Firstly, it broadened its scope to capture not just the “how much” of anxiety, but also the “what kind.” Subscales emerged, dissecting anxiety into its distinct facets: physical symptoms, worry, social discomfort, defensiveness, and even response consistency. Secondly, the RCMAS embraced age-appropriate language and item design, ensuring clear understanding and accurate responses across a wider range of children (6 to 19 years old). Finally, recognizing the diversity of childhood experiences, the RCMAS established norms based on age, ethnicity, and gender, allowing for fair and nuanced interpretation of scores.
This revised and refined instrument quickly gained traction in both clinical and educational settings. Its simplicity, swift administration, and insightful results proved invaluable for professionals seeking to understand, diagnose, and ultimately manage anxiety in children. Over the years, the RCMAS has undergone further improvements, with the second edition (RCMAS-2) incorporating updated content and refined subscales to reflect the ever-evolving landscape of childhood anxiety.
Today, the RCMAS stands as a testament to the tireless efforts of Reynolds and Richmond, their dedication to understanding the inner struggles of children paving the way for better support and brighter futures. It remains a widely utilized tool, helping countless children navigate the complexities of anxiety and find their own path to emotional well-being.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Preparation: Ensure the child is in a comfortable and quiet environment with minimal distractions. Explain the purpose of the test and answer any questions they may have.
- Instructions: Provide clear instructions on how to answer the questions, emphasizing honesty and attentiveness. Clarify whether they should mark “Yes” if the statement generally applies to them, even if not always.
- Item presentation: The child reads each statement silently or listens as the examiner reads it aloud (depending on age and reading ability). They then mark “Yes” or “No” on the answer sheet.
- Completion: When finished, the child returns the answer sheet to the examiner.
Reliability and Validity
The RCMAS has been extensively researched and possesses strong psychometric properties, ensuring its accuracy and usefulness in assessing children’s anxiety. Here’s a breakdown of its reliability and validity:
- Internal consistency: Refers to the consistency of responses within the test. The RCMAS demonstrates good to excellent internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha values typically exceeding 0.80 across both total and subscale scores.
- Test-retest reliability: Measures the consistency of scores when the test is administered twice over a specified time interval. The RCMAS shows moderate to good test-retest reliability, with correlations between scores typically ranging from 0.60 to 0.80.
- Inter-rater reliability: Assesses the consistency of scoring when different individuals score the same test. The RCMAS exhibits high inter-rater reliability, indicating consistent scoring practices are achievable.
- Content validity: Ensures the test items adequately represent the domain of childhood anxiety. The RCMAS content was carefully developed and reviewed by experts to ensure it reflects different types and symptoms of anxiety experienced by children.
- Construct validity: Evaluates whether the test measures what it is intended to measure. The RCMAS demonstrates strong construct validity, as scores correlate significantly with other measures of anxiety and with known correlates of anxiety, such as social avoidance and academic difficulties.
- Concurrent validity: Compares the RCMAS scores with those of other established measures of anxiety. The RCMAS shows significant positive correlations with other anxiety scales, further supporting its validity.
- Discriminant validity: Assesses whether the test can effectively distinguish between groups that should differ in terms of anxiety levels. The RCMAS discriminates well between children with and without clinical diagnoses of anxiety disorders.
Available Versions
37-Items
Reference
Reynolds, C., & Richmond, B. O. (1985). Revised children’s manifest anxiety scale. Psychological Assessment.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is it?
Measures anxiety in children (6-19 years old). Identifies different types of anxiety (physical, worry, social, etc.). Used for diagnosis and monitoring treatment.
How does it work?
Self-report questionnaire with yes/no questions. Takes 10-15 minutes to complete.
Is it reliable and valid?
Yes, research shows it’s accurate and measures what it’s supposed to. But keep in mind limitations like cultural differences and self-report bias.
Who administers it?
Ideally, a qualified mental health professional. Can be self-administered for older children.
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