USPSTF recommends anxiety screening for which pediatric age range?

• A. Children and adolescents age 8 to 18 years
• B. Children under 6 years old
• C. Teens 13 to 19 years old
• D. All children 0 to 18 years old

Answer: (A)

The main idea tested is identifying the appropriate age window for routine anxiety screening in pediatric primary care. The best choice is children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 years. This range lines up with where validated screening tools for anxiety are available and reliable in the primary-care setting, and it covers school-age through late adolescence when anxiety disorders commonly present and can be meaningfully identified early.

Screening younger than 8 is challenging because there are fewer validated, easy-to-use tools for that age group and anxiety can present differently in younger children, making universal screening less supported. Extending screening beyond 18 years falls outside the pediatric primary-care population and the validated pediatric instruments. Therefore, 8 to 18 years is the interval where routine, universal screening is most appropriate.

If a screen is positive, it should lead to a more detailed follow-up assessment to confirm diagnosis, assess impairment, and plan appropriate management, which might include referral for evidence-based therapy and, when indicated, collaboration with families and schools.