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The Separation Anxiety Daily Diary: Child Version: Feasibility and Psychometric Properties

Allen, Jennifer ; Blatter-Meunier, Judith ; Ursprung, Antonia ; Schneider, Silvia

In: Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 2010, vol. 41, no. 6, p. 649-662

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    Title
    • The Separation Anxiety Daily Diary: Child Version: Feasibility and Psychometric Properties
    Author
    • Allen, Jennifer. Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 64a, 4055, Basel, Switzerland
    • Blatter-Meunier, Judith. Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 64a, 4055, Basel, Switzerland
    • Ursprung, Antonia. Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 64a, 4055, Basel, Switzerland
    • Schneider, Silvia. Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 64a, 4055, Basel, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Language
    • English
    Published in
    • Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 2010, vol. 41, no. 6, p. 649-662. Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com
    Other Version
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:321701
    Summary
    This report describes the feasibility and psychometric properties of the child version of the Separation Anxiety Daily Diary (SADD-C) in 125 children (ages 7-14years) from German-speaking areas of Switzerland. Children with separation anxiety disorder (SAD; n=58), "other” anxiety disorders (n=36), and healthy controls (n=31) recorded the frequency of parent-child separations, along with associated anxiety, thoughts, reactions and subsequent parental responses. Compliance rates were modest, consistent with past research on self-report diaries with anxious children. The SADD-C was better at discriminating children with SAD from controls than "other anxious” children. The SADD-C demonstrated good convergent validity with maternal and child self-reported anxiety (Revised Child Manifest Anxiety Scale, Separation Anxiety Inventory) and perceived quality of life (Inventory for Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents). Results provide support for the SADD-C as an acceptable and valid method of assessing child symptoms and parent behavior on separation. Findings are discussed with regard to the clinical utility of the SADD-C and strategies to improve compliance