Development of the pediatric accommodation scale: reliability and validity of clinician- and parent-report measures

J Anxiety Disord. 2015 Jan:29:14-24. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.10.004. Epub 2014 Oct 31.

Abstract

The present study developed parallel clinician- and parent-rated measures of family accommodation (Pediatric Accommodation Scale, PAS; Pediatric Accommodation Scale-Parent Report; PAS-PR) for youth with a primary anxiety disorder. Both measures assess frequency and impact of family accommodation on youth and families. Studying youth ages 5-17 (N=105 caregiver-youth dyads), results provide evidence for the psychometric properties of the PAS, including internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. The PAS-PR exhibited good internal consistency and convergent validity with the PAS. Nearly all parents (>95%) endorsed some accommodation and accommodation frequency was associated with parent-rated impairment (home and school), and with youth-rated impairment (school only). Greater impact of accommodation on parents was associated with parent self-reported depressive symptoms. Findings support the common occurrence of family accommodation in youth with anxiety disorders, as well as for the use of the PAS and PAS-PR to measure family accommodation in this population.

Keywords: Adolescents; Anxiety; Children; Family accommodation.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anxiety Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Depressive Disorder / diagnosis
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Family Relations
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Parents / psychology
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / standards*
  • Psychometrics / methods
  • Reproducibility of Results