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Contribution title	2842 - The Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (child and parent versions) as a valid assessment tool for screening anxiety and depression in Greek children and adolescents.
Contribution code	PS02-41 (P)
Authors	Ioanna Giannopoulou Attikon University Hospital Presenter Paraskevi Bali Attikon University Hospital Evdokia Pasalari Attikon University Hospital Dimitra Grammatikaki Attikon University Hospital Panagiota Korkoliakou Attikon University Hospital Athanasios Douzenis Attikon University Hospital
Form of presentation	Poster
Topic	Assessment / testing
Abstract	Objective: The present study is a preliminary examination of the internal, convergent and divergent validity of the Greek version of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) in a non-clinical sample and the Parent version of the RCADS in a clinical sample. Method: Participants included (a) 350 students, aged 8-18 years old, from the community schools. A subsample of 161 students, alongside RCADS, also completed the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), whereas a subsample of 123 completed the Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS), and (b) 118 clinic-referred children and adolescents, whose parents concurrently assessed their child's symptoms of anxiety and depression through completing the RCADS-P and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: All subscales were positively intercorrelated, with rs varying between .43 (generalized anxiety -social anxiety) and .65 (generalized anxiety-major depression). The correlations between the RCADS subscales and their SCARED-R counterparts are generally substantial. Convergent validity was found with the SCARED-R (r=0.83) and the DSRS (r=0.78). Within scale reliability was excellent with Chronbach’s alpha of .96 for both clinical and community sample. All subscales also showed good to excellent internal reliability. As expected, girls scored significantly higher than boys on all RCADS subscales. With regards to age, adolescents 15-18 years old, scored significantly higher on all, but anxiety separation, subscales than either adolescents 12-14 years old or children 8-11 years old. Parent-child agreement of the RCADS/RCADS-P total and subscale scores ranged from low 0.18 (obsessive-compulsive) to moderate 0.50 (social anxiety). Divergent validity was supported by very weak and non significant correlations between the RCADS-P anxiety subscales and parent SDQ ratings of the conduct problems. RCADS-major depression scores were were significantly higher among school children whose father was unemployed. Conclusion: The psychometric properties of the Greek version of the RCADS resembled those reported in US and Europe, thus providing some convincing evidence for using it as a valid screening tool for anxiety and depression in Greek children and adolescents.