IADR Abstract Archives
Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Adaptation of the ACDAS
Objectives: There have been only a few reports on the validity and reliability of Spanish versions of dental anxiety scales for children. The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of a Spanish adaptation of the Abeer Children Dental Anxiety Scale (ACDAS), a self-report measure of dental anxiety in children.
Methods: The ACDAS includes 13 items about the anxiety reactions of those receiving dental care and a cognitive component provided to children, parents and operators. We translated the Abeer Children Dental Anxiety Scale to Spanish language and then determined its psychometric properties in a sample of 200 children patients from the Dental Clinic at Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Pasto, Colombia. The scale's structural validity was estimated through an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and the reliability was established by examining its internal consistency (Cronbach's α).
Results: Two hundred consecutive patients aged 5 to 10 yrs (112 males and 88 females) were included in the study. The EFA loaded a four-factor structure which accounted for 72.1% of the variance. We labeled those factors according to anxiety reactions to potential harmful stimuli as “pre-intervention stimuli”, “invasive/restrictive stimuli”, “innoxious stimuli (touch, taste)” and innoxious stimuli (smell, hearing)”. The internal consistencies of the sub-scales were 0.88, 0.71, 0.84 and 0.76, respectively. The sub-scales showed good convergent, discriminant and construct validity.
Conclusions: The results suggest the ACDAS in Spanish version is a valid, reliable, and clinically useful instrument for assessing dental anxiety in children.
Methods: The ACDAS includes 13 items about the anxiety reactions of those receiving dental care and a cognitive component provided to children, parents and operators. We translated the Abeer Children Dental Anxiety Scale to Spanish language and then determined its psychometric properties in a sample of 200 children patients from the Dental Clinic at Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Pasto, Colombia. The scale's structural validity was estimated through an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and the reliability was established by examining its internal consistency (Cronbach's α).
Results: Two hundred consecutive patients aged 5 to 10 yrs (112 males and 88 females) were included in the study. The EFA loaded a four-factor structure which accounted for 72.1% of the variance. We labeled those factors according to anxiety reactions to potential harmful stimuli as “pre-intervention stimuli”, “invasive/restrictive stimuli”, “innoxious stimuli (touch, taste)” and innoxious stimuli (smell, hearing)”. The internal consistencies of the sub-scales were 0.88, 0.71, 0.84 and 0.76, respectively. The sub-scales showed good convergent, discriminant and construct validity.
Conclusions: The results suggest the ACDAS in Spanish version is a valid, reliable, and clinically useful instrument for assessing dental anxiety in children.