Journal of anxiety disorders
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The current study examined the reliability and validity of the Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) and the Children's Moods Fears and Worries Questionnaire (CMFWQ) in a Dutch community sample of 275 preschool children aged 2-6 years. The acceptability of PAS and CMFWQ items was good. Preliminary exploratory factor analyses yielded a meaningful five-factor model for the PAS and a three-factor model for the CMFWQ. ⋯ Also some age differences were found on the PAS, with older children scoring higher on the social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder subscales than younger children. Finally, CMFWQ and PAS scores discriminated reasonably between children scoring in the normal, subclinical and clinical range of the CBCL subscales. The utility of the PAS and the CMFWQ as a screening instrument for anxiety problems in preschoolers is briefly discussed.