An analysis of the RCMAS lie scale in a clinic sample of anxious children

Examined Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) Lie scores in a sample of 284 anxious children. Lie scores were examined in relation to children's age, ethnicity/race, and gender, and in relation to Total Anxiety scores. The utility of Lie scores also was examined in terms of whether they were predictive of children's anxiety levels as rated by children themselves, parents, and clinicians. Between-group differences in children's Lie scores were examined as well. Results indicated that younger children had significantly higher Lie scores than older children, and Hispanic American children had significantly higher Lie scores than European American children. There were no significant gender differences in Lie scores, and no significant relation was found between RCMAS Lie scores and Total Anxiety scores for the total sample. Subgroup analyses indicated that Lie scores were predictive of children's anxiety levels. Results also indicated that Lie scores were significantly different between children who presented with anxiety disorders and children who presented with anxiety and externalizing disorders. Findings are discussed in terms of the usefulness of RCMAS Lie scores.