The psychometric properties of the of the Persian version of the Screen for adult anxiety related disorders (SCAARED) in patients with anxiety disorders

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Screen for adult anxiety related disorders (SCAARED) in Tehran. METHOD: The present study was a descriptive‐survey method and a cross‐sectional method. The present research population consists of patients referring to hospitals and psychiatric clinics in Tehran, as well as male and female students in Tehran. The sample of the present study included 300 participants (150 patients with a diagnosis of anxiety disorders and 150 non‐clinical samples), who were selected by random sampling method. Inclusion criteria included age 18 to 50, minimum diploma, lack of mental retardation, and lack of acute physical illnesses such as cancer or severe pain. The participants, after completing the demographic questionnaire and conducting a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐5 Disorders–Clinical Version (SCID‐5‐CV), completed the SCAARED and the Personal Wellbeing Index—Adults (PWI‐A). Finally, face and content validity and construct validity, test–retest reliability, Cronbach's alpha, and factor analysis were used. RESULTS: The results of the present study confirmed the face validity and content of the present scale. A review of Cronbach's standardized alpha showed that SCAARED has a reliability of 0.966, and therefore, the Persian version of these questionnaires is a reliable tool. Also, the results showed a correlation between the two implementations of the questionnaire; in addition to the strong correlation at the level (p < .01) between the factors of the questionnaire and the factors with the total score, there was a strong correlation between the first and second implementation in four factors and the overall score. Therefore, it can be concluded that the SCAARED has good test–retest reliability. Also, there is a positive correlation between the factors and the overall score of the SCAARED with anxiety disorders based on Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐5 Disorders (p < .01), which indicates the favorable convergent validity of the SCAARED questionnaire. There is a negative correlation between the factors and the overall score of the SCAARED with the PWI‐A at the level (p < .01), which indicates the favorable divergent validity of the SCAARED, and the results of exploratory factor analysis of the questionnaire were confirmed. CONCLUSION: The Persian version of the SCAARED is a tool with appropriate validity and reliability.