(PS2-A16) Establishing Psychometric Properties of the Child Avoidance Measure – Self Report (CAMS) in Emerging Adults

Avoidance of fear-inducing situations is a core mechanism underlying the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders (Barlow, 2002; Compton et al., 2003; Norton & Price, 2007). Although reducing avoidance plays a key role in anxiety intervention, efficient self-report measures to assess avoidance behaviors are lacking. Previously, Whiteside et al. (2013) developed the Child Avoidance Measure – Self Report & Parent Report (CAMS/CAMP) questionnaires. The CAMS demonstrated appropriate psychometric properties in community and clinically anxious youth samples. However, there are no self-report measures of behavioral avoidance in later developmental stages. This is concerning, given that rates of anxiety increase during emerging adulthood, the developmental stage between ages 18 to 25 (Arnett & Mitra, 2018).

In this poster, we present data from a robust sample (N=510) of emerging adults ages 18 to 25 (M = 19.43, SD = 1.46; 72% female) who completed an adaptation of the CAMS (Young Adult Avoidance Measure – Self Report; YAAMS) and a self-report of anxiety symptoms (Screen for Adult Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders; SCAARED; Angulo et al., 2017). Our aim was to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis to determine whether the single-factor structure in youth could be replicated in emerging adults, and examine convergent validity with anxiety symptom total score on the SCAARED.

The confirmatory factor analysis of the YAAMS demonstrated adequate fit of the one-factor structure of avoidance in young adults, χ2 (20) = 144.47, p < .001, CFI = 0.93, RMSEA = .11. All scale items had significant loadings of at least .69 and higher. In this sample, the Cronbach’s alpha for the 8 YAAMS items was .88. The YAAMS was positively, moderately, and significantly correlated with SCAARED total score, r = .49, p< .001. Moreover, in a subsample (N=47). the CAMS total score significantly differed between healthy controls (n=25, M=15.44, SD=4.25) and anxiety-diagnosed (n=22, M=20.82, SD=5.90) participants, t=-3.54, p< .001.

The final poster will also test whether avoidance and anxiety symptoms share a common latent factor or whether avoidance items load onto a factor separate from anxiety symptom domains. This work provides preliminary data to support the use of the YAAMS in emerging adults, with the expectation that the scale performs similarly to its established psychometric properties in youth. This may provide practical support for clinical applications of the measure in treatment given its brevity (8-items) for participants to self-report on their avoidance behavior.