Measuring Anxiety in Adolescents Exposed to Community Violence:

Background/ Significance: Exposure to community violence can influence adolescents' psychological development. Many researchers have examined the relationship between exposure to community violence and the development of anxiety among adolescents. In their pursuit to explore that relationship, researchers have used a variety of instruments. Purpose: The purposes of this paper are to: describe the phenomenon of anxiety; provide an overview of the instruments used to measure anxiety in adolescents exposed to community violence; evaluate three instruments routinely used to measure anxiety; and compare the strengths and weaknesses of the instruments.

Method: A review of the relevant literature was conducted to identify anxiety measures used to examine the relationship between exposure to community violence and anxiety.

Results: Many instruments have been used to measure anxiety in adolescents exposed to community violence, but few research studies provide a conceptual definition of anxiety. The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) are three instruments commonly used to measure anxiety in adolescents exposed to community violence. Each instrument has been shown to be reliable and valid when measuring anxiety.

Conclusion: The TSCC, CBCL, and STAIC are three instruments widely used to measure anxiety. Each instrument has different strengths and weaknesses. The use of these instruments seems to be the most cost efficient method to measure anxiety in adolescents.