Validation of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory in younger adults

Abstract

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) in younger adults. Participants were 212 younger adults age M = 22 (range = 17–53) years. They completed a demographic information questionnaire and self-report measures: the GAI, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder–7 (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), and the Worry Behaviors Inventory (WBI). Data from the GAI were collected at two time points, one week apart, and data from other self-report measures were collected once via Qualtrics, an online survey platform. The internal consistency and test–retest score reliability of the GAI were excellent. It had good congruent validity with other anxiety measures, limited divergent validity with depression measures, and sound convergent validity with worry measures. The GAI showed good discrimination between probable cases and noncases of generalized anxiety disorder (participants who scored ⩾8 on the GAD-7) and its optimal cutoff score for probable cases of GAD was ⩾12. A unidimensional component structure of the GAI best fit this study’s data. This study has provided preliminary evidence that the GAI is reliable and valid for use in an Australian sample of younger adults.