Geriatric Anxiety Scale: Development and Preliminary Validation of a Long-Term Care Anxiety Assessment Measure. Issue 3 (3rd May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pifer, Marissa A.; Segal, Daniel L.
• Is Part Of: Clinical gerontologist. Volume 43:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 295
• Page End: 307
• Publication Date: 2020-05-03
• Subjects: Long term care -- anxiety -- assessment -- older adults -- anxiety screening; Geriatrics -- Periodicals; Geriatric psychiatry -- Periodicals; Older people -- Mental health services -- Periodicals; Older people -- Psychology -- Periodicals; 618.97689
• DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2020.1725793
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0731-7115

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Objectives : Anxiety is a significant problem for many individuals in various long-term care (LTC) settings and is often undetected and under-treated. This study examined the psychometric properties of a new quantitative anxiety screening measure specifically designed for use in long-term care settings, the Geriatric Anxiety Scale – Long Term Care Version (GAS-LTC). Method : Data were collected from LTC residents ( N = 66; M age = 84.4 years, range = 59 to 100 years; 74.2% women) who completed the GAS-LTC, the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI), the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15), and the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ). Results : The GAS-LTC demonstrated good internal consistency (α = .80), and good convergent validity with the GAI ( r = .70, p < .01), the GDS-15 ( r = .67, p < .01), and the PRMQ (r = .54, p < .01). Internal consistency on the GAS-LTC did not significantly vary between groups with high (α = .75) and low (α = .77) self-reported subjective memory impairment. Conclusions : The results from this study preliminarily indicate that the GAS-LTC is reliable and valid for use with older adults in LTC settings. Clinical Implications : Use of the GAS-LTC in LTC settings may help improve detection and treatment for individuals experiencing elevated anxiety in LTC.