Validation of a Briefer Anxiety Screening Tool for Use in Pediatric Cardiology Clinics

BACKGROUND: Anxiety disorders are common in pediatric heart disease (PHD), including congenital, arrhythmic, and acquired heart disease. The standard screening tool, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), is too lengthy to complete in a busy pediatric cardiology clinic. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the concurrent validity of a briefer tool, Pediatric-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Pediatric Anxiety (PROMIS-Anx), relative to SCARED in children with PHD. METHODS: ), and a cut point was developed for PROMIS-Anx in children and their caregivers using Youden index. RESULTS: = 0.58, P < 0.001), both reaching statistical significance. A PROMIS-Anx score of >30 was identified as a threshold for significant anxiety symptoms based on SCARED. CONCLUSIONS: PROMIS-Anx scores correlate with SCARED across the range of scores, particularly when completed by the child. Routine screening for anxiety in cardiology clinic, with a brief tool such as PROMIS-Anx, can promote earlier identification and treatment of anxiety in children with PHD.