title: Utility of telephone assessments in an older adult population.
abstract: Telephone assessments are commonly used in mental health research and may be especially beneficial in older populations. The current study assessed the psychometric properties of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (T. J. Meyer, M. L. Miller, R. L. Metzger, & T. D. Borkovec, 1990) and the Beck Depression Inventory--II (A. T. Beck, R. A. Steer, & G. K. Brown, 1996), when administered over the telephone in an older adult population. Results indicate no differences in mean symptom level or internal consistency across two modes of administration. Correlations between the in-person and telephone-administered measures and diagnostic categories suggest adequate validity of the telephone-administered measures. With this demonstrated evidence, the telephone assessment method can be applied in a variety of research and clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies, Health Services Research and Development Service, Michael E. Debakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Senior
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kunik
authors.forename: Howard M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Rhoades
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Novy
authors.forename: Nancy L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Melinda A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Stanley
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results