The Revised Childrens Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS)

What I Think and Feel

Read each question carefully. Put a circle around the word YES if you think it is true
about you. Put a circle around the word NO if you think it is not true about you.
1. I have trouble makin u! my mind. " Yes No
#. I et nervous when thins do not o the riht way for me. "$ Yes No
%. Others seem to do thins easier than I can. Yes No
&. I like everyone I know. Yes No
'. Often I have trouble ettin my breath. # Yes No
(. I worry a lot of the time. "" Yes No
). I am afraid of a lot of thins. #" Yes No
*. I am always kind. Yes No
+. I et mad easily. % Yes No
"$. I worry about what my !arents will say to me. "# Yes No
"". I feel that others do not like the way I do thins. ## Yes No
"#. I always have ood manners. Yes No
"%. It is hard for me to et to slee! at niht. & Yes No
"&. I worry about what other !eo!le think about me. "% Yes No
"'. I feel alone even when there are !eo!le with me. Yes No
"(. I am always ood. Yes No
"). Often I feel sick in the stomach. ' Yes No
"*. ,y feelins et hurt easily. Yes No
"+. ,y hands feel sweaty. #& Yes No
#$. I am always nice to everyone. Yes No
#". I am tired a lot. ( Yes No
##. I worry about what is oin to ha!!en. "' Yes No
#%. Other children are ha!!ier than I am. #' Yes No
#&. I tell the truth every sinle time. Yes No
#'. I have bad dreams. ) Yes No
Please turn the page

#(. ,y feelins et hurt easily when I am fussed at. Yes No

#). I feel someone will tell me I do thins the wron way. #( Yes No
#*. I never et anry. Yes No
#+. I wake u! scared some of the time. * Yes No
%$. I worry when I o to bed at niht. ") Yes No
%". It is hard for me to kee! my mind on my schoolwork. #) Yes No
%#. I never say thins that I shouldn-t. Yes No
%%. I wrile in my seat a lot. Yes No
%&. I am nervous. "* Yes No
%'. . lot of !eo!le are aainst me. #* Yes No
%(. I never lie. Yes No
%). I often worry about somethin bad ha!!enin to me. "+ Yes No
/evelo!ed by Reynolds and Richmond 0"+)*1 to assess 2the deree and quality of an3iety
e3!erienced by children and adolescents4 05erald and Reynolds6 "+++6 !. %#%1. It is based on
the 7hildren-s ,anifest .n3iety Scale 07,.S16 which was devised by 7asteneda6
,c7andless and Palermo 0"+'(1.
Administration:
8he R7,.S is suitable for individual or rou! administration6 by clinicians6 researchers or
teachers6 with ( to "+ year old children. 8he scale is best read out to children in 5rades one
and two 0or to children who have an equivalent readin ae1. 5rade three and older children
need to be monitored carefully as they read the items themselves6 with e3!lanations iven for
words that they do not understand.
Reynolds and Richmond 0"+)*1 advocate for the use of the R7,.S with children in 5rades
three to twelve6 and more tentatively 02!robably satisfactory46 !. #)+16 for 5rades one and two6
or with children functionin intellectually in that lower rane.
7aution is recommended for the youner children because of the relatively hiher 9ie Scale
scores 0Reynolds and Richmond6 "+)*1. Reynolds6 :radley and Steele 0"+*$1 found that the
youner ae rou! understand and res!ond reliably when the items are read to them.
Scoring Method and Interpretations of Reslts:
Each item is iven a score of " for a 2yes4 res!onse6 yieldin a 8otal .n3iety score 0.g1. 8hree
em!irically derived .n3iety Subscales scores 0Physioloical .n3iety6 ;orry<Oversensitivity6
and Social 7oncerns<7oncentration1 and 9ie Scale scores can be calculated. 8he 9ie scale is
best thouht of as a social desirability scale as it does not directly and conclusively detect
2lyin4.
Stallard6 =elleman6 9ansford and :aldwin 0#$$"1 recommend that an overall cut>off !oint of
"+ out of #* be used to identify children e3!eriencin clinically sinificant levels of an3iety
0!.#$$1.
Reynolds and Richmond 0"+)*1 suest that scores within one standard deviation of the
mean6 at the a!!ro!riate rade level6 be used to indicate scorin within the normal rane of
variability 0see below for norms of means and standard deviations or sources for norms1.
Scores fallin at least one standard deviation from the mean 08 ($1 are thouht to be of
clinical interest. ?owever6 8>scores above )$ should be inter!reted with caution. 8he child-s
res!onse !attern should be e3amined with res!ect to a !roblematic !attern of endorsement or
readin difficulties.
?ih scores on the sub>scales can re!resent different as!ects of an3iety6 which can be used
to develo! hy!otheses about the oriin and nature of a child-s an3iety.
0"1 ?ih scores on the Physiological Factor 0items "6 '6 +6 "%6 ")6 "+6 #"6 #'6 #+6 %%1 can
indicate !hysioloical sins of an3iety 0e sweaty hands6 stomach aches1.
0#1 ?ih scores on the Worry/Oversensitivity Factor 0items #6 (6 )6 "$6 "&6 "*6 ##6 #(6 %$6
%&6 %)1 would suest that the child internalises their e3!eriences of an3iety and that
he or she may feel overwhelmed and withdraw.
0%1 ?ih scores on the Concentration Anxiety Factor 0items %6 ""6 "'6 #%6 #)6 %"6 %'1
would suest that the child is likely to feel that he or she is unable to meet the
e3!ectations of other im!ortant !eo!le6 inadequate and unable to concentrate on
tasks.
Source@ Swinburne Aniversity6 7entre for Neuro!sycholoy6
htt!@<<www.swin.edu.au<victims<resources<assessment<affect<rcmas.html .ccessed@ ,ay #$$)