Comparison of self-report measures for identifying late-life generalized anxiety in primary care.
This study evaluated the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Penn State Worry Questionnaire-Abbreviated, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-IV for identifying generalized anxiety disorder in older medical patients. Participants were 191 of 281 patients screened for a clinical trial evaluating cognitive-behavior treatment, n = 110 with generalized anxiety disorder, 81 without. Participants completed the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-IV at pretreatment. Kappa coefficients estimated agreement with the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnosis. Receiver operating characteristic curves compared sensitivity and specificity of self-report measures. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (cutoff = 50) provided the strongest prediction of generalized anxiety disorder (sensitivity, 76%; specificity, 73%; 75% correctly classified; kappa = .49. Item 2 of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-IV demonstrated comparable accuracy. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-IV, and briefer versions of these measures may be useful in identifying late-life generalized anxiety disorder in medical settings.
Webb
Sarah A
SA
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, 200 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Diefenbach
Gretchen
G
Wagener
Paula
P
Novy
Diane M
DM
Kunik
Mark
M
Rhoades
Howard M
HM
Stanley
Melinda A
MA
D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires