SCAT (SINHA’S COMPREHENSIVE ANXIETY TEST)

Aim: to asses an individuals level of anxiety using SCAT

What is anxiety?
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear
or apprehension about what’s to come. For example, going to a job
interview or giving a speech on the first day of school may cause
some people to feel fearful and nervous.

what are different types of anxiety disorders?

generalised anxiety disorder, which consists of prolonged, vague, unexplained
and intense fears that are not attached to any particular object. The symptoms
include worry and apprehensive feelings about the future;

hypervigilance, which involves constantly scanning the environment for dangers.

It is marked by motor tension, as a result of which the person is unable to relax, is
restless, and visibly shaky and tense.

Another type of anxiety disorder is panic disorder, which consists of recurrent

anxiety attacks in which the person experiences intense terror.

A panic attack denotes an abrupt surge of intense anxiety rising to a peak when
thoughts of a particular stimuli are present. Such thoughts occur in an
unpredictable manner.

You might have met or heard of someone who was afraid to travel in a lift or
climb to the tenth floor of a building, or refused to enter a room if s/he saw a
lizard. You may have also felt it yourself or seen a friend unable to speak a word
of a well-memorised and rehearsed speech before an audience. These kinds of
fears are termed as phobias. People who have phobias have irrational fears
related to specific objects, people, or situations. Phobias often develop gradually
or begin with a generalised anxiety disorder. Phobias can be grouped into three
main types, i.e. specific phobias, social phobias, and agoraphobia.
Specific phobias are the most commonly occurring type of phobia. This group includes irrational fears
such as intense fear of a certain type of animal, or of being in an enclosed space. Intense and
incapacitating fear and embarrassment when dealing with others characterises social anxiety disorder
(social phobia).

Agoraphobia is the term used when people develop a fear of entering unfamiliar situations. Many
people with agoraphobia are afraid of leaving their home. So their ability to carry out normal life
activities is severely limited.

Effects of anxiety/ stress

Anxiety leads to complicated effects which can challenge your mental health. In the
short term, anxiety increases your breathing and heart rate, concentrating blood flow to
your brain, where you need it. This very physical response is preparing you to face an
intense situation.If it gets too intense, however, you might start to feel lightheaded and
nauseous. An excessive or persistent state of anxiety can have a devastating effect on
your physical and mental health

Running thoughts can include:

worrying about things a lot of the time

feeling like your worries are out of control

having trouble concentrating and paying attention

worries that seem out of proportion.

Other signs can include:

being unable to relax

avoiding people or places like school or parties

withdrawing from family and friends

feeling annoyed, irritated or restless

difficulty getting to sleep at night or waking up a lot during the night.

Coping with stress/anxiety:

 Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news

stories, including those on social media. It’s good to be informed
but hearing about the traumatic event constantly can be upsetting.
Consider limiting news to just a couple of times a day and
disconnecting from phone, tv, and computer screens for a while.
 Take care of yourself. Eat healthy, exercise, get plenty of sleep,
and give yourself a break if you feel stressed out.
 Take care of your body.
o Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate.
o Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals .
o Exercise regularly.
o Get plenty of sleep.
o Avoid excessive alcohol, tobacco, and substance use.
 Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
 Talk to others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and
how you are feeling. Share your problems and how you are feeling
and coping with a parent, friend, counselor, doctor, or pastor.

 Connect with your community- or faith-based organizations.

 Avoid drugs and alcohol. These may seem to help, but they can
create additional problems and increase the stress you are already
feeling.
 Recognize when you need more help. If problems continue or
you are thinking about suicide, talk to a psychologist, social worker,
or professional counselor.
ABOUT THE TEST
SINHA’S COMPREHNSIVE ANXIETY TEST was developed by A.K.P
SINHA AND L.N.K SINHA in (1995). There are total 90 statements in
Sinha's Comprehensive Anxiety Test (SCAT) which the testee has to
answer. The test contains questions which will make the testee introspect
and invoke a feeling of fear in some questions. This will help the
experimenter determine the level of anxiety that an individual has. There is
no time limit for the completion of the test but usually an individual takes
around 15-20 minutes. There is no right or wrong response for any
particular question because individual differences exist and these
statements have been designed to study individual's reaction to different
situations. However, it is not considered desirable for the testee to know
the aim of the test.

The testee has to answer the questions in either 'yes' or 'no'. After the test
has been conducted, evaluation occurs where scoring is done. The
inventory can be scored very accurately without the help of any stencil.

For any response marked as 'yes', the testee is to be given one score and
zero for the responses marked as no. Once this is done, with the help of
the SCAT manual, standard scores could be obtained and the level of
anxiety within the testee is determined.

PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE TEST