Instruments assessing anxiety in adults with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review

• Published in: Research in developmental disabilities Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 861 - 870
• Main Authors: Hermans, Heidi, van der Pas, Femke H., Evenhuis, Heleen M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders - diagnosis; Anxiety Disorders - psychology; Anxiety-Depression; Assessment; Biological and medical sciences; Check Lists; Depression (Psychology); Evaluation Methods; Humans; Intellectual disabilities; Intellectual Disability - psychology; Interrater Reliability; Learning Disabilities; Learning disabled people; Literature Reviews; Measures (Individuals); Medical sciences; Mental Retardation; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - standards; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reliability; Reproducibility of Results; Selfreport; Techniques and methods; Test Reliability; Test Validity; Test-Retest reliability; Tests; Validity; Validity; Anxiety; Reliability; Intellectual disabilities; Assessment; Affect affectivity; Questionnaire; Methodology; Anxiety disorder; Internal consistency; Developmental disorder; Review; Mental retardation; Predictive validity; Handicap; Human; Evaluation; Evaluation scale; Psychometrics; Test reliability; Intertrial interval; Recommendation; Test validation; Intellectual deficiency; Critical study; Typology
• ISSN: 0891-4222; 1873-3379
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2011.01.034

► The Glasgow Anxiety Scale is the most promising self-report instrument. ► For informant-report, the Anxiety, Depression and Mood Scale appears most promising. ► Over the years, the methodological quality of studies improved. ► For most measures of anxiety, reliability and validity are insufficiently studied. ► Reliability and validity of existing measures of anxiety should be further studied. In the last decades several instruments measuring anxiety in adults with intellectual disabilities have been developed. To give an overview of the characteristics and psychometric properties of self-report and informant-report instruments measuring anxiety in this group. Systematic review of the literature. Seventeen studies studying 14 different instruments were found. Methodological quality as measured with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies checklist was insufficient for four studies, sufficient for seven, and good for six. For self-report, the Glasgow Anxiety Scale for people with a learning disability appears most promising, with good internal consistency ( a = 0.96), high test–retest reliability ( r = 0.95), sensitivity (100%) and specificity (100%). For informant-report, the general anxiety subscale of the Anxiety, Depression and Mood Scale may be promising, with good internal consistency ( a = 0.83 and a = 0.84) and excellent test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.78 and ICC = 0.92), but poor interrater reliability (ICC = 0.39). Two instruments appear promising. However, these instruments have only been studied once or twice, whereas the methodological quality of these studies was varying.