Journal of Pediatric Psychology () pp. –, doi:./jpepsy/jsi Journal of Pediatric Psychology vol. no. © Society of Pediatric Psychology ; all rights reserved. Development of a New Fear of Hypoglycemia Scale: Preliminary Results

Objective To provide preliminary psychometric data on the Children’s Hypoglycemia Index (CHI), a new scale was designed to measure fear of hypoglycemia (FH) in children. Methods One hundred and nine children with type 1 diabetes attending a diabetes summer camp completed the CHI, and 57 of these children completed the CHI 2 weeks later. All participants also completed the Children’s Hypoglycemia Fear Survey (CHFS), the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and a Hypoglycemia History Form. Parents of the children also completed a Hypoglycemia History Form. Results The CHI demonstrated good factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion-related validity with established measures. Frequency of severe hypoglycemic episodes since diabetes diagnosis also predicted scores on the Situation- and General-Fear subscales of the CHI. Conclusions The CHI demonstrated reliability and validity as a measurement of children’s FH. The use of this measure offers important clinical and research implications. Key words assessment; fear of hypoglycemia; type 1 diabetes. The negative consequences of hypoglycemia in individ-uals with type 1 diabetes have been reliably documented in the literature (e.g., McCrimmon, Gold, Deary, Kelnar, & Frier, 1995) with physical symptoms being most prominent (e.g., shaking, sweating, drowsiness, nausea, and headache). Other symptoms of hypoglycemia may include poor motor coordination, confusion, and nega-tive mood states, with argumentativeness and irritability being primary features in children (McCrimmon et al., 1995). Although usually transient, if left untreated, hypoglycemia can result in more severe consequences including seizures, coma, or death (McCrimmon et al., 1995). In some individuals with diabetes, the aversive symptoms of hypoglycemia may result in phobic-lik