![]() ![]() The SAS has good psychometric credentials and has been found to perform comparatively to contempory measures such as the anxiety subscale of the DASS in predicting anxiety disorder classifications based on the PHQ. Although developed in 1971, the SAS continues to be extensively used in research, particularly in medical disciplines. The paper focuses on Zung’s Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS ) a norm-referenced screener that, in conjunction with its sister scale, the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS, ) has been shown to discriminate anxiety from mood disorders. While it is beyond the scope of this paper to critique the psychometric properties of such norm-referenced screeners or compare their advantages, disadvantages and limitations, users should be mindful of such features. In the latter case, scores that equal or exceed a specified cut-off point are considered to indicate the likely presence of the disorder concerned. These screeners include both criterion-referenced measures, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ ), and norm-referenced measures, such as the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS ), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI ), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI ), which allow comparison of the individual’s results with a norm-refernced group of sufferers. Formal diagnoses based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM ) require a clinical interview, but as this is a time-consuming and expensive process, clinicians and researchers employ a variety of psychometric tools to screen for these conditions. ConclusionsĬonsideration of prevalence rates and of the potential costs of false negative and false positive diagnoses, suggests that, while the current cut-off of 36 might be appropriate in the context of clinical screening, the original raw score cut-off of 40 would be most appropriate when the SAS is used in research.Īlong with depression, anxiety disorders are the most prevalent of mental health conditions. Mathematical formulas, including Youden’s Index and the Receiver Operating Characteristics Curve, applied to positive PHQ diagnoses (presence of a disorder) from the clinical sample and negative PHQ diagnoses (absence of a disorder) from the community sample suggested that the ideal cut-off point lies between the current and original points recommended by Zung. The clinical sample consisted of a further 141 adults receiving treatment from a mental health professional for some form of anxiety disorder. The community sample consisted of 210 participants recruited to be representative of the Australian adult population. The current study explored this issue by examining sensitivity and specificity figures against diagnoses made on the basis of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) in clinical and community samples. However, recent research (Dunstan DA and Scott N, Depress Res Treat 2018:9250972, 2018) has questioned whether the existing cut-off for identifying the presence of a disorder might be lower than ideal. These concise reports provide useful information and help monitor a client's progress over time.įind out how to use this test in your telepractice.Zung’s Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) is a norm-referenced scale which enjoys widespread use a screener for anxiety disorders. Data reported on samples of patients who were diagnosed as having panic disorder with agoraphobia, panic disorder without agoraphobia, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety.Easy administration, scoring, and interpretation of results.Assess a broad range of emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioral symptoms that represent important dimensions of anxiety.īAI has been found to discriminate well between anxious and non-anxious diagnostic groups in a variety of clinical populations.Get comprehensive assessment of anxiety-related symptoms.Each item is descriptive of subjective, somatic, or panic-related symptoms of anxiety. With the Beck Anxiety Inventory, patients respond to 21 items rated on a scale from 0 to 3.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |