Properties of the childhood anxiety sensitivity index in children with anxiety disorders: Autonomic and nonautonomic factors

This study examined the item properties, factor structure, and convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of items on the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI). A large sample of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders (N = 228) was administered semistructured clinical interviews and self-report measures of anxiety sensitivity, anxiety, and depression. Overall, the CASI was found to exhibit good convergent and discriminant properties in relation to clinician-rated panic and generalized anxiety severity, respectively. Results identified a subset of items (autonomic items) that demonstrated psychometric properties superior td the full scale, in both child (7 to ii years) and adolescent (12 to 17 years) subsamples. The findings point to strategies for continued investigation regarding the clinical assessment of AS in children and adolescents.