Psychiatry Investig.
2018 Nov;15(11):1053-1063. 10.30773/pi.2018.09.27.2.
Screening Tool for Anxiety Disorders: Development and Validation of the Korean Anxiety Screening Assessment
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. keehongchoi@gmail.com
- 2Clinical Emotion and Cognition Research Laboratory, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea. lshpss@hanmail.net
- 3Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- 4Department of Clinical Psychology, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- 5Department of Adolescent Psychology, Hanyang Cyber University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 1120008@hycu.ac.kr
- 6Department of Psychiatry, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea.
- KMID: 2427573
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2018.09.27.2
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Korean Anxiety Screening Assessment (K-ANX) developed for screening anxiety disorders.
METHODS
Data from 613 participants were analyzed. The K-ANX was evaluated for reliability using Cronbach's alpha, item-total correlation, and test information curve, and for validity using focus group interviews, factor analysis, correlational analysis, and item characteristics based on item response theory (IRT). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the K-ANX were compared with those of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7).
RESULTS
The K-ANX showed excellent internal consistency (α=0.97) and item-total coefficients (0.92-0.97), and a one-factor structure was suggested. All items were highly correlated with the total scores of the BAI, GAD-7, and Penn State Worry Questionnaire. IRT analysis indicated the K-ANX was most informative as a screening tool for anxiety disorders at the range between 0.8 and 1.6 (i.e., top 21.2 to 5.5 percentiles). Higher sensitivity (0.795) and specificity (0.937) for identifying anxiety disorders were observed in the K-ANX compared to the BAI and GAD-7.
CONCLUSION
The K-ANX is a reliable and valid measure to screen anxiety disorders in a Korean sample, with greater sensitivity and specificity than current measures of anxiety symptoms.
