ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a review of observational and self-report measures of fear and anxiety in preschool children as well as their psychometric properties. Observations are not only used to measure anxiety-related risk factors such as insecure attachment and behavioral inhibition to the unfamiliar, but can also be employed to document avoidance and other anxious behaviors in a straightforward manner. Self-report instruments assess fear and anxiety from the child’s point-of-view and include questionnaires and interviews, some of which rely on developmentally appropriate methods such as cartoons and puppet play. The additive value of observations and self-reports to the psychological assessment of fear and anxiety in young children will be discussed.
