Screening for anxiety in an epidemiological sample: predictive accuracy of questionnaires

The study examined the predictive accuracy of selected questionnaires when screening for anxiety in a representative epidemiological sample of young female adults ( N=1877). All participants were diagnosed using a structured diagnostic interview. Anxiety questionnaires included global as well as spe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of anxiety disorders 2002, Vol.16 (2), p.113-134
Main Authors: Hoyer, Jürgen, Becker, Eni S., Neumer, Simon, Soeder, Ulrich, Margraf, Jürgen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia - prevention & control
Anxiety disorders
Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology
Anxiety Disorders - prevention & control
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Germany - epidemiology
Humans
Mass Screening
Medical sciences
Predictive Value of Tests
Prospective Studies
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Screening
Sensitivity
Sensitivity and Specificity
Specificity
Surveys and Questionnaires
Techniques and methods
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Summary:The study examined the predictive accuracy of selected questionnaires when screening for anxiety in a representative epidemiological sample of young female adults ( N=1877). All participants were diagnosed using a structured diagnostic interview. Anxiety questionnaires included global as well as specific measures (Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Symptom Checklist, Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), Fear Questionnaire (FQ), Mobility Inventory (MI)). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive power were computed for two screening decisions: (1) identifying any anxiety disorder or (2) identifying a specific anxiety disorder (agoraphobia) within the total sample and the clinical subsample. Due to naturalistic (low) base rates in epidemiological samples, diagnostic indices were lower than those previously reported. However, questionnaire data proved useful when a specific disorder was targeted (agoraphobia) and specific symptoms were operationalized.
ISSN:0887-6185
1873-7897
DOI:10.1016/S0887-6185(01)00094-9