PURPOSE: Assessment of children's anxiety in busy clinic settings is an important step in developing tailored interventions. This article describes the construct validation of the Children's Anxiety Meter-State (CAM-S), a brief measure of state anxiety.
DESIGN AND METHODS: Existing data were used to investigate the associations between child self-reports of anxiety, parent reports of child anxiety, and observed child distress during an intravenous procedure.
RESULTS: Children's (n = 421) CAM-S scores were significantly associated with all parent measures and observed distress ratings.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings support the use of the CAM-S for assessment of child anxiety in clinical settings.