title: Using a 0-10 scale for assessment of anxiety in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) often experience anxiety, an emotion that predicts adverse physiologic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a single-item anxiety assessment instrument, the Anxiety Level Index (ALI), is a valid alternative to the State Anxiety Index (SAI) or the anxiety subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) for assessing state anxiety for patients with AMI. In this prospective multicenter study, 243 inpatients with AMI rated their anxiety using the SAI, the anxiety subscale of the BSI, and the ALI. Anxiety Level Index scores were compared to SAI and BSI anxiety subscale scores. There were moderate, positive correlations between the SAI and the ALI (rs = 0.52, P < .001), and between the ALI and the anxiety subscale of the BSI (rs = 0.45, P < .001). Although ALI scores were moderately and significantly correlated with scores on the SAI and the BSI anxiety subscales, the results of the Bland-Altman method indicate a lack of construct validity of the single-item measure. The quest continues to construct a simple self-report measure of anxiety that is appropriate for critically ill patients with AMI.
authors.affiliation: mdejong@aol.com
authors.forename: Maj Marla J
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: De Jong
authors.forename: Kyungeh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McKinley
authors.forename: Bonnie J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Garvin
authors.forename: Lynne A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Debra K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Moser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D015982:Bias; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*