Anxiety or pain: What does the scale measure?

E. R. Katz et al (see record 1980-22464-001) report the development of an observational scale to measure distress behavior in children with cancer. They discuss this scale as if it measured anxiety, but the present authors suggest that the scale probably reflects both anxiety and pain. The terms are difficult to distinguish because they refer to constructs. Therefore, future research should build upon the work of Katz et al by elaborating the theoretical definition of anxiety and pain and by using a somewhat altered rating methodology. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)