Empirical Measurement of Overanxious Disorder in Boys 8 to 12 Years Old

The validity of Overanxious Disorder in boys 8 to 12 years old was studied with the parent-completed Child Behavior Checklist and the self-rated Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. Specific cutoff techniques with each measure were also investigated for accuracy in identifying Overanxious boys from Dysthymic and Attention Deficit Disorder boys. Both convergent and discriminant validity were demonstrated: Overanxious Disorder showed high correlation with the Child Behavior Profile type of Schizoid or Anxious and no correlation with the Hyperactive and Delinquent types. The opposite correlations were found for boys with Attention Deficit Disorder. Good classification (70%) was achieved when the two instruments were used in combination. The importance of multimethod, empirical assessment to substantiate Overanxious Disorder is emphasized.