title: Assessing worry in older adults: confirmatory factor analysis of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and psychometric properties of an abbreviated model.
abstract: The assessment of worry among older adults typically has involved measures designed with younger cohorts. Because of special concerns in assessing older adults, modifications to existing instruments may be necessary. Addressing equivocal factor analytic data on the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) among younger adults, the authors conducted confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the generalizability of previous models to older adults with generalized anxiety disorder. Data fit poorly with established single- and two-factor models. The single-factor model was modified, resulting in the elimination of 8 items, strong fit indices, high internal consistency, adequate test-retest reliability, and good convergent and divergent validity. Further psychometric work is required to assess whether the revised model is a more parsimonious method to assess late-life anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Room 301D, Austin Peay Building, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0900, USA. dhopko@utk.edu
authors.forename: Derek R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Hopko
authors.forename: Melinda A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Reas
authors.forename: Julie Loebach
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wetherell
authors.forename: J Gayle
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Novy
authors.forename: Patricia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Averill
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires