Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Elderly People Using the GAD-7 and GAD-2 Scales: Results of a Validation Study
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Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Elderly People Using the GAD-7 and GAD-2 Scales: Results of a Validation Study. / Wild, Beate; Eckl, Anne; Herzog, Wolfgang; Niehoff, Dorothea; Lechner, Sabine; Maatouk, Imad; Schellberg, Dieter; Brenner, Hermann; Müller, Heiko; Löwe, Bernd.
in: AM J GERIAT PSYCHIAT, 11.06.2013.Publikationen: SCORING: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift/Zeitung › SCORING: Zeitschriftenaufsatz › Forschung › Begutachtung
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Elderly People Using the GAD-7 and GAD-2 Scales: Results of a Validation Study
AU - Wild, Beate
AU - Eckl, Anne
AU - Herzog, Wolfgang
AU - Niehoff, Dorothea
AU - Lechner, Sabine
AU - Maatouk, Imad
AU - Schellberg, Dieter
AU - Brenner, Hermann
AU - Müller, Heiko
AU - Löwe, Bernd
N1 - Copyright © 2013 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2013/6/11
Y1 - 2013/6/11
N2 - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) and its two core items (GAD-2) for detecting GAD in elderly people. METHODS: A criterion-standard study was performed between May and December of 2010 on a general elderly population living at home. A subsample of 438 elderly persons (ages 58-82) of the large population-based German ESTHER study was included in the study. The GAD-7 was administered to participants as part of a home visit. A telephone-administered structured clinical interview was subsequently conducted by a blinded interviewer. The structured clinical (SCID) interview diagnosis of GAD constituted the criterion standard to determine sensitivity and specificity of the GAD-7 and the GAD-2 scales. RESULTS: Twenty-seven participants met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for current GAD according to the SCID interview (6.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9%-8.2%). For the GAD-7, a cut point of five or greater appeared to be optimal for detecting GAD. At this cut point the sensitivity of the GAD-7 was 0.63 and the specificity was 0.9. Correspondingly, the optimal cut point for the GAD-2 was two or greater with a sensitivity of 0.67 and a specificity of 0.90. The areas under the curve were 0.88 (95% CI: 0.83-0.93) for the GAD-7 and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.80-0.94) for the GAD-2. The increased scores on both GAD scales were strongly associated with mental health related quality of life (p <0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our results establish the validity of both the GAD-7 and the GAD-2 in elderly persons. Results of this study show that the recommended cut points of the GAD-7 and the GAD-2 for detecting GAD should be lowered for the elderly general population.
AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) and its two core items (GAD-2) for detecting GAD in elderly people. METHODS: A criterion-standard study was performed between May and December of 2010 on a general elderly population living at home. A subsample of 438 elderly persons (ages 58-82) of the large population-based German ESTHER study was included in the study. The GAD-7 was administered to participants as part of a home visit. A telephone-administered structured clinical interview was subsequently conducted by a blinded interviewer. The structured clinical (SCID) interview diagnosis of GAD constituted the criterion standard to determine sensitivity and specificity of the GAD-7 and the GAD-2 scales. RESULTS: Twenty-seven participants met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for current GAD according to the SCID interview (6.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9%-8.2%). For the GAD-7, a cut point of five or greater appeared to be optimal for detecting GAD. At this cut point the sensitivity of the GAD-7 was 0.63 and the specificity was 0.9. Correspondingly, the optimal cut point for the GAD-2 was two or greater with a sensitivity of 0.67 and a specificity of 0.90. The areas under the curve were 0.88 (95% CI: 0.83-0.93) for the GAD-7 and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.80-0.94) for the GAD-2. The increased scores on both GAD scales were strongly associated with mental health related quality of life (p <0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our results establish the validity of both the GAD-7 and the GAD-2 in elderly persons. Results of this study show that the recommended cut points of the GAD-7 and the GAD-2 for detecting GAD should be lowered for the elderly general population.
U2 - 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.01.076
DO - 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.01.076
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 23768681
JO - AM J GERIAT PSYCHIAT
JF - AM J GERIAT PSYCHIAT
SN - 1064-7481
ER -
