Psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) amongst Nairobi public secondary school children, Kenya.

BACKGROUND There are few psychometric instruments whose properties have been studied in a developing country's context. AIM To determine the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) in Nairobi public secondary school children, Kenya. METHOD Concurrent self-administration of the MASC and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) to students in Nairobi public secondary schools. RESULTS The MASC had a high overall internal consistency alpha co-efficient (0.85) in the Kenyan sample, which is similar to Western findings, and is hence a reliable tool for measuring anxiety in the study population. It was also similar to the findings from two Western studies in the anxiety domains of physical symptoms, social anxiety, separation anxiety and harm avoidance. The correlation co-efficient with CDI was similar to Scandinavian findings. CONCLUSION The MASC can be used in Kenyan children and, by extension, other Africa children.