Current Issues in the Assessment of Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: A Developmental Perspective

Abstract

This paper describes some of the current problems with the assessment of children's anxiety. The main assessment methods — structured clinical interview and self-report — often have problems with validity and reliability while less frequently used measures such as physiological recording, behavioural observation, and thought-listing also have their attendant difficulties. Possible ways of reducing some of these problems using a developmental perspective are discussed.