Comparing Parent and Child Self-report Measures of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in Children and Adolescents with a Chronic Health Condition

Anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents with a chronic health condition have been estimated as high as 40% lifetime prevalence. Clinicians often rely on parent/caregiver information to supplement or substitute child self-report related to pediatric physical and mental health. We developed a caregiver proxy version (STAI-P) for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) State Anxiety Scale that was compared with a child self-report version in 201 parent–child dyads to evaluate its utility in measuring state anxiety in chronically ill youth. For patients aged 7–12, self-reports of state anxiety were moderately associated with parent distress and health provider-reported functional status, but negatively associated with parent STAI-P scores. For patients aged 13–17, self-reports of state anxiety were significantly associated with STAI-P scores, parent distress, and health provider-reported functional status. The STAI-P parent version may be a useful tool in identifying and addressing anxiety symptoms in youth living with a chronic health condition.