Development and initial validation of a self-report assessment tool for anxiety among older adults: The Geriatric Anxiety Scale

• Published in: Journal of anxiety disorders Vol. 24; no. 7; pp. 709 - 714
• Main Authors: Segal, Daniel L, June, Andrea, Payne, Matthew, Coolidge, Frederick L, Yochim, Brian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anxiety; Anxiety - diagnosis; Anxiety - psychology; Anxiety Disorders - diagnosis; Anxiety Disorders - psychology; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Assessment; Biological and medical sciences; Clinical assessment; Elderly people; Female; Geriatric Anxiety Scale; Humans; Male; Measurement; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Older adults; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Screening; Self-Assessment; Selfreport; Surveys and Questionnaires; Symptoms; Validation; Measurement; Geriatric Anxiety Scale; Screening; Anxiety; Older adults; Assessment; Human; Test validation; Affect affectivity; Self evaluation; Psychometrics; Test construction; Elderly; Geriatrics; Tool
• ISSN: 0887-6185; 1873-7897
• DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.05.002

Abstract Anxiety is a common experience among older adults and can be a cause for major clinical concern. Brief and psychometrically sound screening instruments are needed to detect anxiety in later life. The purposes of this study were to develop a brief, self-report measure of anxiety for use with older adults (called the Geriatric Anxiety Scale [GAS]) and to report on its preliminary psychometrics. The GAS includes 30 self-report items of which 25 items represent three common domains of anxiety symptoms among older adults (cognitive, somatic, and affective) and 5 items represent common content areas of worry. The GAS total score and subscale scores demonstrated good internal reliability in community dwelling and in clinical samples. In addition, correlation analyses provided solid evidence of convergent and construct validity for the GAS in both samples. Present results support the preliminary validity of the GAS for clinical and research purposes. We conclude with a discussion of limitations and future research topics.