Reexamination of the MASC factor structure and discriminant ability in a mixed clinical outpatient sample

Anxiety problems in youth are common, suggesting the need for developmentally appropriate and psychometrically sound measures in this area. The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) was created with this goal in mind, but has yet to be examined with samples representative of youth typically seen in clinical settings. Two hundred and sixty-two outpatient youth with mixed clinical presentations completed the MASC, a measure that includes a total anxiety score, as well as subscale scores for social anxiety, harm avoidance, separation anxiety/panic, and physical symptoms of anxiety. Internal consistency, means, and factor structure were comparable to that reported previously. Model invariance was supported across gender, diagnosis, and age. The MASC total score significantly differentiated children who received anxiety disorder diagnoses from those who did not. The social anxiety subscale significantly predicted social phobia and the harm avoidance subscale significantly predicted generalized anxiety disorder. Further support was found for the MASC. However, caution should be exercised given mixed discriminant ability findings. That is, the MASC seems best suited as a screening instrument for anxiety and when used in conjunction with a multiple method/informant assessment approach.