Dr. Erin Buchanan, assistant professor of psychology, published “Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) in a Large, Ethnically Diverse, Southern Sample” in the journal Assessment, along with co-authors from other universities. The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) is a tool for diagnosing psychological problems in children, such as social phobias, depression and generalized anxiety.

Buchanan’s article examined the structure of the scale, along with scoring and stability of answers across gender, age groups and ethnicity. By examining a large group of young children, the researchers discovered that different ethnic groups reported different rates of anxiety and depression symptoms, which highlights the need to carefully consider diversity when interpreting the results of the RCADS and similar scales.

Filed Under: College of Health and Human Services · Erin Buchanan · psychology · research