Development and initial validation of a self-report assessment tool for anxiety among older adults: The Geriatric Anxiety Scale

Segal, Daniel L.; June, Andrea; Payne, Matthew; Coolidge, Frederick L.; Yochim, Brian P.

doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.05.002

Cited by 168 publications

(181 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

161

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Since the relationship between anxiety and depression in geriatrics is very well known and they co-occur frequently in the elderly [17], we decided to measure the level of anxiety in these patients, using the GAS [18] that was previously validated in Lebanon [19]. It contains 25 self-report items used for scoring, as well as 5 additional items, that tap into common topical concerns of anxiety among older adults that help clinicians identify areas of concern for the patient.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Arabic Version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (30 Items): Psychometric Properties and Some Findings in a Lebanese Elderly Sample

Hallit¹,

Hallit²,

Daher³

et al. 2018

Psychopathology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background/Aim: Although the rates of depression and anxiety disorders have been shown to be higher in older people, especially those living in institutional settings, most of this population remains undiagnosed and untreated. The objective is to translate the full-scale Geriatric Depression Scale (30 items, GDS) into Arabic for use in elderly patients in Lebanon, to check its validity and reproducibility in comparison to the original version of the questionnaire, and assess the risk factors associated with depression in the Lebanese geriatric population. Methods: This case-control study was conducted between June and August 2016 and included 500 patients aged more than 60 years (250 living inside and 250 outside a nursing home). Results: Strongly positive correlations (p < 0.001 for all items of the scale) were found between each item of the scale and the total scale. The mean inter-item correlation for our scale was 0.51, higher than that of the original scale (0.36), with an excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.901). Living in a nursing home, stress, anxiety, being married, age, and the primary level of education would significantly increase depression (β = 2.211, β = 0.223, β = 0.041, β = 0.902, β = 0.118, and β = 3.533, respectively). A normal nutritional status and a university level of education would significantly decrease depression (β = –0.732; β = –1.961). Conclusion: The Arabic version of the GDS can be used to estimate the severity of depression in the Lebanese elderly population. Periodic screening for anxiety, nutritional status, and stress is also recommended among geriatric people living in Lebanon.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Arabic Version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (30 Items): Psychometric Properties and Some Findings in a Lebanese Elderly Sample

Hallit¹,

Hallit²,

Daher³

et al. 2018

Psychopathology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is only very recently that instruments devised specifically to measure anxiety and anxiety disorders among older people have been developed and tested. Prominent examples are the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI, Pachana et al, 2007) and the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS, Segal et al, 2010). Both instruments are put to the test in this issue and both perform very well (Mueller et al, 2015, Johnco et al, 2015.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Late-life anxiety is coming of age

Beekman

Voshaar²,

Pachana

2015

Int. Psychogeriatr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anxiety is an adaptive human experience that may occur at all ages and serves to help draw attention to, avoid or cope with immanent threat and danger. Given its evolutionary importance, it has strong genetic and biological underpinnings, and when it serves that adaptive function for the organism, anxiety may be viewed as useful. However, complex adaptive systems, such as our adaptation to threat or stress, by definition provide many and often interrelated points of breakdown or dysregulation, which, if sustained, may lead to psychopathology. Anxiety has been described as a common currency for psychopathology, indicating that it is a first line and universal way for us to respond to stress and threat. It is more or less prominent in patients diagnosed with practically all psychiatric or neurodegenerative disorders. This has lead to the inclusion of anxiety as a cross-cutting symptom measure in the development of DSM-5 (APA, 2013). Given that they are rooted in a complex adaptive system that has many potential points of impact to develop pathology, it is not surprising that anxiety disorders are extremely heterogeneous. This heterogeneity of anxiety disorders pertains to symptomatology, etiology and outcomes, and poses great challenges to both research and clinical practice.

show abstract

“…The present study selected the most recent anxiety scale: the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS) because it acknowledges anxiety as a distinctive mental health problem (Segal, June, Payne, Coolidge, & Yochim, 2010). In comparison to scales such as the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory that focus on worry symptoms, the GAS is more comprehensive and focuses on four areas: cognitive, somatic, affective and worry.…”

Section: Anxiety (Geriatric Anxiety Scale)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the GAS scale has not been tested in RACFs, it has shown good internal reliability in community ( : 0.98) and clinical settings ( : 0.98) (Segal et al, 2010). The GAS has been tested in a non-western population and reported high Cronbach's alpha.…”

Section: Anxiety (Geriatric Anxiety Scale)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The GAS was translated into Persian for an older Iranian population with a reported Cronbach's alpha value of 0.92 (Bolghan-Abadi, Segal, Coolidge, & Gottschling, 2013). Convergent validity with different anxiety scales reported significant correlations with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (r=0.82), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scale (r=0.79) and Adult Manifest Anxiety Scale-Elderly Version (r=.77) (Segal et al, 2010).…”

Section: Anxiety (Geriatric Anxiety Scale)mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Spiritual reminiscence therapy for older people with loneliness, anxiety and depression living in a residential aged care facility, Malaysia: The effectiveness and older people’s experiences

Elias¹,

Munirah²

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Development and initial validation of a self-report assessment tool for anxiety among older adults: The Geriatric Anxiety Scale

Cited by 168 publications

References 29 publications

An Arabic Version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (30 Items): Psychometric Properties and Some Findings in a Lebanese Elderly Sample

An Arabic Version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (30 Items): Psychometric Properties and Some Findings in a Lebanese Elderly Sample

Late-life anxiety is coming of age

Spiritual reminiscence therapy for older people with loneliness, anxiety and depression living in a residential aged care facility, Malaysia: The effectiveness and older people’s experiences

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About