Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale (Teacher Version)

Abstract

The Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale (Teacher Version), often referred to as the SPAS-T, is a specialized rating instrument designed to assess the frequency and severity of anxiety symptoms in young children, specifically those attending preschool or equivalent early childhood settings. This version utilizes the observations and professional judgment of teachers to provide an external, objective assessment of the child’s functioning within the school environment. It is derived from the broader Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) framework, tailored to capture developmentally appropriate expressions of anxiety disorders such as Separation Anxiety, Social Anxiety, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The scale consists of 22 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale.

Keywords

Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, SPAS-T, preschool assessment, child anxiety, teacher rating scale, Separation Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Authors

S.H. Spence, R. Rapee, C. McDonald, M. Ingram, P.M. Barrett, C.M. Turner.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale (Teacher Version) is to facilitate the early identification and screening of clinically significant anxiety symptoms in children typically aged three to five years. By obtaining teacher ratings, the instrument captures behaviors and emotional responses displayed in a structured, non-familial environment, which is crucial for comprehensive diagnostic workup, particularly for disorders that manifest differently outside the home setting.

Furthermore, the scale is useful for monitoring treatment efficacy and tracking changes in anxiety severity over time in educational settings. The teacher’s perspective offers valuable insight into social functioning, classroom engagement, and compliance, providing a necessary counterpoint to parent-report or self-report measures used with older children.

Construct

The SPAS-T measures anxiety symptoms across several domains corresponding to DSM-IV/DSM-5 anxiety disorders, adjusted for the preschool age group. The structure is typically multidimensional, reflecting the distinct nature of various anxiety presentations in young children. The five primary subscales identified for this version are:

• Separation Anxiety: Symptoms related to distress upon separation from primary caregivers or worry about harm befalling loved ones.
• Physical Injury Fears: Specific fears often related to environmental threats, animals, or bodily harm.
• Social Anxiety: Fear of negative evaluation, embarrassment, or difficulty interacting in social or performance settings.
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Symptoms related to intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) designed to neutralize distress or prevent feared outcomes.
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry about multiple events or activities, often accompanied by physical tension and restlessness.

Validity

Validity evidence for the SPAS and its preschool versions is typically established through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), demonstrating that the observed symptom structure aligns with the theoretical constructs of distinct anxiety disorders. Studies focusing on the preschool population support the differentiation of the specified anxiety subscales in young populations, confirming that these dimensions are observable and distinguishable by teachers.

Concurrent validity is established through significant correlations with other established measures of child anxiety and clinical diagnostic interviews. Discriminant validity ensures that the scale effectively differentiates anxiety from other internalizing and externalizing problems common in preschool children, supporting its utility as a specific measure of anxiety pathology.

Reliability

The scale demonstrates good internal consistency, particularly for the overall total anxiety score and its major subscales, typically measured using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients across various normative and clinical samples. Reliability studies confirm that the items within each factor group are highly intercorrelated, indicating that the items effectively measure their intended construct.

Additionally, adequate test-retest reliability is generally reported, indicating that the SPAS-T provides stable measurements of anxiety symptoms over short intervals, which is crucial for monitoring clinical progress and evaluating the long-term impact of therapeutic interventions.

Factor Analysis

The structure of anxiety symptoms in preschoolers was empirically explored using factor analytic techniques, leading to the refinement of the SPAS-T from the original SCAS. Early work established a robust factor structure for older children, but subsequent research focusing on the preschool population (Spence et al., 2001) confirmed that the core factors—Separation Anxiety, GAD, Social Anxiety, and OCD—maintain clinical and statistical distinctiveness when rated by teachers, even though some factors found in older children (e.g., Panic Attack/Agoraphobia) may be less pronounced or developmentally irrelevant.

This confirmatory factor structure supports the use of specific subscale scores, allowing clinicians and researchers to identify specific anxiety profiles rather than relying solely on a global anxiety measure. The empirical evidence supports the theoretical model that anxiety in young children is a multidimensional phenomenon.

Instrument

Test Type: Rating Scale (Teacher Report)

Format: 5-point Likert scale, consisting of 22 items. The scoring anchors are: 0= Not True at All, 1=Seldom True, 2= Sometimes True, 3= Quite Often True, 4=Very Often True.

Language Available: English (Original), with translations available for the broader SCAS instrument.

Population Group: Clinical and non-clinical populations.

Age Group: Preschool children (typically 3 to 5 years old).

Population Details: Used with children attending daycare, kindergarten, or preschool settings.

Test Methodology: Teachers observe the child’s behavior and emotional presentation over a specified period and rate the frequency of specific anxiety symptoms based on the provided 5-point scale. Scoring involves summing item responses, often yielding a total anxiety score and five distinct subscale scores aligned with DSM diagnostic categories.

Keywords

Psychological assessment, preschool screening, early childhood mental health, teacher informant, SCAS, developmental psychopathology, clinical psychology, psychometric evaluation.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Information not provided in source materials.

Affiliation Email addresses: Information not provided in source materials.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence regarding the scale is generally directed through the primary author’s institutional affiliation, Professor Susan H. Spence, details of which are usually available via the official SCAS website.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale is generally available for research and clinical use, often requiring permission from the copyright holder, Professor Susan H. Spence. Detailed information regarding permissions and fees can typically be found on the official SCAS website. The structure forming the basis of the preschool version was formally detailed in 2001 (Spence, Rapee, McDonald, & Ingram).

The instrument can be found at: http://www.scaswebsite.com/1_1_.html

Reference’s

• Spence, S.H., Rapee, R., McDonald, C., & Ingram, M. (2001). The structure of anxiety symptoms among preschoolers. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 39, 1293 – 1316.
• Spence. S.H., (1997). Structure of Anxiety Symptoms Among Children: A Confirmatory Factor-Analytic Study. J Abnorm Psych 106(2): 280-297.
• Spence. S.H, Barrett. P.M, Turner. C.M. (2003). Psychometric Properties of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale with Young Adolescents. J Anxiety Disord 17(6): 605-625.

Items of the Spence preschool Anxiety Scale (Teacher Version)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Repeatedly asks about parent(s) during the day
2. Has difficulty stopping him/herself from worrying
3. Keeps checking that he/she has done things right (e.g.‚ that he/she closed a door‚ turned off a tap)
4. Complains of headaches or stomachaches when it is time to be dr‎opped off at preschool/school
5. Is tense‚ restless or irritable due to worrying.
6. Is scared to ask an adult for help (e.g.‚ a preschool or school teacher).
7. Is scared of heights (high places)
8. Washes his/her hands over and over many times each day
9. Is afraid of meeting or talking to unfamiliar people
10. Worries that something bad will happen to his/her parents
11. Spends a large part of each day worrying about various things
12. Is afraid of talking in front of the class (preschool group) e.g.‚ show and tell
13. Worries that something bad might happen to him/her (e.g.‚ getting lost or kidnapped)‚ so he/she won’t be able to see his/her parents again..
14. Has to have things in exactly the right order or position to stop bad things from happening
15. Worries that he/she will do something embarrassing in front of other people
16. Is afraid of insects and/or spiders
17. Has bad or silly thoughts or images that keep coming back over and over
18. Becomes distressed when he/she is dr‎opped off at preschool/school
19. Is afraid to go up to a group of children and join their activities..
20. Has to keep thinking special thoughts (e.g.‚ numbers or words) to stop bad things from happening.
21. Asks for reassurance when it doesn’t seem necessary
22. Cries for parent whilst at preschool/school..