Separation Anxiety Assessment Scale-Parent Version: Spanish Validation (SAAS-P: Spanish Validation)

Area of Science:

• Psychometrics
• Child Psychology
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Separation anxiety is a common childhood disorder.
• Validated assessment tools are crucial for accurate diagnosis and intervention.
• The Separation Anxiety Assessment Scale-Parent Version (SAAS-P) is a widely used measure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Spanish adaptation of the SAAS-P for parents of schoolchildren.
• To assess the psychometric properties of the Spanish SAAS-P, including reliability and validity.
• To determine the clinical utility of the Spanish SAAS-P in a Spanish-speaking context.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted with parents of children aged 8-11 years.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on data from 910 and 4127 parents, respectively.
• Reliability, temporal stability, sensitivity, specificity, and discriminant validity were assessed, with 392 children interviewed using the ADIS-IV.

Main Results:

• Four factors explaining 51.56% of the variance were identified and confirmed.
• The scale demonstrated good internal consistency (α=0.84) and temporal stability (r=0.75).
• High sensitivity (90%) and specificity (82%) were reported, with strong correlations between subscales and key dimensions.

Conclusions:

• The Spanish adaptation of the SAAS-P is a valid and reliable measure for assessing separation anxiety in children.
• The scale exhibits good clinical utility and accuracy in identifying separation anxiety symptoms.
• This validated tool can aid in the diagnosis and management of separation anxiety in Spanish-speaking children.