title: Single-item screening for agoraphobic symptoms: validation of a web-based audiovisual screening instrument.
abstract: The advent of web-based treatments for anxiety disorders creates a need for quick and valid online screening instruments, suitable for a range of social groups. This study validates a single-item multimedia screening instrument for agoraphobia, part of the Visual Screener for Common Mental Disorders (VS-CMD), and compares it with the text-based agoraphobia items of the PDSS-SR. The study concerned 85 subjects in an RCT of the effects of web-based therapy for panic symptoms. The VS-CMD item and items 4 and 5 of the PDSS-SR were validated by comparing scores to the outcomes of the CIDI diagnostic interview. Screening for agoraphobia was found moderately valid for both the multimedia item (sensitivity.81, specificity.66, AUC.734) and the text-based items (AUC.607-.697). Single-item multimedia screening for anxiety disorders should be further developed and tested in the general population and in patient, illiterate and immigrant samples.
authors: Department of Clinical Psychology and EMGO Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. w.van.ballegooijen@vu.nl
authors: Wouter
authors: W
authors: van Ballegooijen
authors: Heleen
authors: H
authors: Riper
authors: Tara
authors: T
authors: Donker
authors: Katherina
authors: K
authors: Martin Abello
authors: Isaac
authors: I
authors: Marks
authors: Pim
authors: P
authors: Cuijpers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D019719:Diagnostic Equipment; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D019212:Multimedia; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D057566:Self Report; D013997:Time Factors