Dimensions of Anxiety, Age, and Gender: Assessing Dimensionality and Measurement Invariance of the State-Trait for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA) in an Italian Sample

Abstract

The State–Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA) is a widely used measure of state and trait anxiety that permits a specific assessment of cognitive and somatic anxiety. Previous research provided inconsistent findings about its factor structure in non-clinical samples (e.g., hierarchical or bi-factor structure). To date, no psychometric validation of the Italian version of the STICSA has been conducted. Our study aimed to determine the psychometric functioning of the Italian version of the STICSA, including its dimensionality, gender and age measurement equivalence, and convergent/divergent validity in a large sample of community-dwelling participants (N = 2,938; 55.9% female). Through confirmatory factor analysis, the multidimensional structure of both State and Trait STICSA scales, with each including Cognitive and Somatic dimensions, was supported. Factor structure invariance was tested and established at configural, metric, and scalar levels for males and females. Additionally, full factorial measurement invariance was supported for the State scale across young, middle age, and old adult groups whereas the Trait scale was partially invariant across age groups. The STICSA also showed good convergent validity with concurrent anxiety measures (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory), and satisfactory internal discriminant validity with two depression measures (Teate Depression Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory-II). Results provided support for the multidimensionality of the STICSA, as well as the generalizability of the State and Trait scales as independent measures of Cognitive and Somatic symptomatology across gender in the general population. Implications for research and personality and clinical assessment are discussed.

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“…The 21-item state scale of the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA) ( Ree et al, 2008 ; Balsamo et al, 2016 ; Carlucci et al, 2018 ) was administered to evaluate cognitive (e.g., “I have trouble remembering things”) and somatic (e.g., “My muscles are tense”) symptoms of state anxiety. Individuals rated how often a statement was true in the past 2 weeks, from 1 “ not at all ” to 4 “ very much so .” Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.89.…”

A Bottom-Up Validation of the IAPS, GAPED, and NAPS Affective Picture Databases: Differential Effects on Behavioral Performance

“…These sample characteristics potentially threat the generalizability of our findings. Further studies need to explore the presence of age and sex-related effects, (as well as cognitive styles; Carlucci et al, 2015Carlucci et al, , 2020 in ratings affective images as clustered in the present database (Fairfield et al, 2017).…”

“…General cognition was assessed with the Culture Fair Intelligence Test (CFIT) Scale 3 ( Cattell and Cattell, 1959 ). We administered the “State Trait Inventory of Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety” (STICSA) for mood ( Balsamo et al, 2015 ; Carlucci et al, 2018 ) to assess cognitive and somatic anxiety symptoms and consisting of both trait and state versions; and the “Teate Depression Inventory” (TDI; Balsamo and Saggino, 2013 ) to detect major depressive disorder as specified by the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). We evaluated personality traits with the short form of the “Big Five Questionnaire” (BFQ; Caprara et al, 1993 ) with five general domain scales (energy, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness).…”

Mindfulness-Based IARA Model® Proves Effective to Reduce Stress and Anxiety in Health Care Professionals. A Six-Month Follow-Up Study

“…Besides, the anxiety measure used in the present study assessed state rather than trait anxiety, which possibly limits the generalizability of results. Further research should apply psychometrically robust measures of anxiety and perceived work stress for further evaluation [47,48].…”