Interactive Interpreter

SCARED Scoring Calculator · Child Anxiety Screen, Ages 8-18

The SCARED (Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders) is a 41-item questionnaire, with parallel child self-report and parent-report forms, that screens for anxiety symptoms over the past three months in children and adolescents aged 8–18. It covers panic/somatic, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety and school avoidance, and a total of 25 or higher indicates a possible anxiety disorder.

For professional reference, research, and education only. Not for diagnosis or medical advice.

SCARED Score Interpreter

  • SCARED Score Calculator

    Enter each of the 41 items (0–2) from the child or the parent form to total them; the range shows below. Items are numbered, not reproduced: enter them from the form in front of you. Score each form separately.

    0 of 41 items entered — 41 still blank. The total can only rise, so treat the range as provisional.

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    Each item scores 0–2.

  • Enter a total score to see its range.

  • 41 items rated 0–2 (child or parent form); total 0–82. Subscale cutoffs are evaluated separately from the total.

    Total scoreInterpretation
    25+At or above cutoff (≥25)Possible anxiety disorder; a structured clinical interview is warranted.
    0–24Below cutoff (<25)Below the total-score threshold. A child can still screen positive on a subscale; review subscale scores and the other informant's report.

    Birmaher B et al. (1997, 1999). J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. Conventional total-score cutoff of 25 or greater (see also Trafalis et al., 2021).

The SCARED (Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders) is a 41-item child and parent questionnaire that screens for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Totals run from 0 to 82, and 25 or more is the conventional cutoff for a possible anxiety disorder 4.

Why was the SCARED developed?

The SCARED was developed by Birmaher and colleagues at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic as a child and parent self-report questionnaire to screen children for anxiety disorders 1. It was designed to separate anxiety from other childhood psychiatric conditions and to tell specific anxiety disorders apart 1.

The original 85-item pool was reduced to 38 items; the current 41-item version was tested in a replication study, which also produced a 5-item brief version 2.

Who is the SCARED for?

The SCARED exists in two parallel versions, a child self-report form and a parent-report form, so child and parent perspectives can be compared directly. Multi-informant assessment is recommended practice in child mental health evaluation.

It has been translated into ten languages 4. Check the copyright holder's terms before clinical or commercial use.

What does the SCARED measure?

The SCARED is a 41-item scale that assesses anxiety symptoms over the past three months in children and adolescents ages 8–18 across five subscales:

  • Panic Disorder / Somatic Symptoms (13 items): Physical anxiety symptoms, unexpected fear, and panic-like episodes
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (9 items): Worry across multiple domains, restlessness, difficulty controlling worry
  • Separation Anxiety Disorder (8 items): Fear of separation from caregivers, school avoidance tied to separation concerns
  • Social Anxiety Disorder (7 items): Fear of embarrassment, avoidance of social situations, self-consciousness
  • School Avoidance (4 items): Reluctance or refusal to attend school

How do you give the SCARED?

  • Child version for ages 8–18; a parent version is completed by the caregiver
  • Self-administered, on paper or digitally; digital forms can make subscale scoring easier
  • Multi-informant administration (child + parent) is recommended
  • Should be followed by a structured clinical interview when scores exceed cutoffs

How do you score and interpret the SCARED?

  1. Rate each of the 41 items 0 (not true or hardly ever true), 1 (sometimes true) or 2 (very true or often true).
  2. Add all 41 items for a total score of 0 to 82.
  3. Add the items within each of the five subscales: panic disorder/somatic symptoms (13 items), generalized anxiety (9), separation anxiety (8), social anxiety (7) and school avoidance (4).
  4. A total of 25 or higher suggests a possible anxiety disorder; further clinical evaluation is recommended 4.
  5. Compare each subscale score with its own cutoff (table below). Subscales are read independently of the total, so a child can screen positive on a subscale without reaching 25.
  6. Score the child and parent forms separately, then compare the two reports.

Use the score interpreter above to check a total against the 25 threshold.

What are the SCARED subscale cutoffs?

SubscaleItemsCutoff
Panic Disorder / Somatic Symptoms137 or above
Generalized Anxiety Disorder99 or above
Separation Anxiety Disorder85 or above
Social Anxiety Disorder78 or above
School Avoidance43 or above

Interpretation notes:

  • Subscale scores can help guide differential diagnosis of specific anxiety disorder presentations.
  • Parent and child scores often diverge (parent-child agreement was moderate in the development study 1); both perspectives are clinically informative.
  • A score above the total cutoff without elevated subscale scores may indicate diffuse, subthreshold anxiety rather than a discrete disorder.
  • Results should always be integrated with clinical interview and developmental, family, and school history.
  • The SCARED does not diagnose anxiety disorders; it identifies youth who warrant further evaluation.

Psychometric properties

Reliability

  • Good internal consistency for the total and five factor scores of both forms (alpha .74 to .93) in the development sample of 341 youth and 300 parents 1
  • Test-retest reliability ICC .70 to .90 over an average of 5 weeks 1
  • Moderate parent-child agreement (r = .20 to .47) 1

Validity

  • Discriminative validity both between anxiety and other disorders and within anxiety disorders 1, replicated with the 41-item version in 190 youth and 166 parents 2
  • Discriminates anxiety from depression and disruptive behaviour disorders; correlates more strongly with internalizing than externalizing problems on the CBCL 3

Limitations

  • Does not assess obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or PTSD; separate measures are required for these conditions
  • Cutoffs come from clinically referred samples; the developers called for studies in community samples 1
  • Subscale specificity is moderate; overlapping symptoms across anxiety disorders reduce distinct subscale differentiation
  • School avoidance may be driven by factors other than anxiety (e.g., peer conflict, learning difficulties) and needs contextual clarification
  • Self-report accuracy may be reduced in younger children (ages 8–10)

For individuals: This page is a clinical reference, not a diagnostic tool. If you have concerns about your own symptoms, bring this information to a qualified mental health professional.

Track SCARED scores with clients

  • Send SCARED check-ins by email or QR code before a session. Each response is scored on submission and charted over time, so you and your team can see how a client is changing.

    Start tracking scores

Related

FAQ

  • What total SCARED score suggests an anxiety disorder?

    A total SCARED score of 25 or above is the conventional cutoff that suggests an anxiety disorder may be present and warrants further clinical evaluation. Exceeding this threshold does not constitute a diagnosis; it indicates that a structured clinical interview is warranted.

  • Is the SCARED self-report or clinician-administered?

    The SCARED is a self-report questionnaire. It exists in two parallel forms — one completed by the child or adolescent (ages 8–18) and one completed by a parent or caregiver — using the same 41 items and scoring. Clinicians are not required to administer it directly, though they review and interpret the results. Multi-informant administration (both child and parent versions) is recommended to capture differing perspectives on the child's anxiety.

  • Can the SCARED diagnose anxiety disorders?

    No. The SCARED is a screening tool designed to identify children and adolescents who may warrant further evaluation, not to provide a diagnosis. A score at or above the total or subscale cutoffs indicates elevated anxiety symptoms consistent with a possible disorder, but diagnosis requires a structured clinical interview incorporating developmental, family, and contextual history.

  • How is the SCARED scored and what is the maximum score?

    Each of the 41 items is rated on a 3-point scale: 0 (not true or hardly ever true), 1 (sometimes true), or 2 (very true or often true). All items are summed to produce a total score ranging from 0 to 82. Subscale scores are calculated by summing items within each of the five subscale groups: Panic Disorder/Somatic (13 items), Generalized Anxiety (9 items), Separation Anxiety (8 items), Social Anxiety (7 items), and School Avoidance (4 items).

References

    1. 1.Birmaher B, Khetarpal S, Brent D, Cully M, Balach L, Kaufman J, Neer SM. The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): scale construction and psychometric characteristics. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997;36(4):545-53.
    2. 2.Birmaher B, Brent DA, Chiappetta L, Bridge J, Monga S, Baugher M. Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): a replication study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1999;38(10):1230-6.
    1. 3.Monga S, Birmaher B, Chiappetta L, Brent D, Kaufman J, Bridge J, Cully M. Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): convergent and divergent validity. Depress Anxiety. 2000;12(2):85-91.
    2. 4.Trafalis S, Giannini C, Joves J, Portera S, Toyama H, Mehta A, Basile K, Friedberg RD. A pediatrician-friendly review of three common behavioral health screeners in pediatric practice: Findings and recommendations. Pediatr Investig. 2021;5(1):58-64.
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