ABSTRACT
Psychological assessment represents a fundamental step in understanding anxiety problems in children and adolescents. The development and implementation of a successful intervention generally depends on a comprehensive assessment of the presenting complaints (Essau et al., 1997). More recently the focus of assessment has been on objectively quantifying thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. Since the release of DSM-III, one goal of childhood assessment has been to reliably and validly differentiate anxiety from other syndromes and further, to discriminate between the different categories of anxiety disorders. To achieve this goal, several methods of assessment have been developed including self-report instruments, behaviour rating scales, diagnostic interviews, and behavioural observation. While methods of assessing childhood anxiety have experienced a significant increase and refinement over the past decade, several developmental issues have limited their reliability and validity. In this chapter, we discuss the often overlooked issue of developmental context in the assessment of anxiety in children and adolescents. These issues include: (i) a developmentally bereft diagnostic system, (ii) the matter of validity across different age groups, and (iii) the lack of procedural guidelines for combining information from multiple informants. Before discussing these developmental issues, we describe and critique the different methods for assessing anxiety in young people.
