Conclusions : Of the most commonly used measures , the majority lacked sufficient evidence to warrant their use with older adults .
Based on psychometric evidence , three measures ( Beck Anxiety Inventory , Penn State Worry Question naire , and Geriatric Mental Status Examination ) showed psychometric properties sufficient to justify the use of these instruments when assessing anxiety in older adults .
In addition , two measures developed specifically for older adults ( Worry Scale and Geriatric Anxiety Inventory ) were also found to be appropriate for use with older adults
Objectives : The authors set out to systematic ally review the research literature in order to identify the anxiety measures most commonly used in the assessment of older adults .
Once identified , the literature was review ed to determine the extent to which these instruments had age-relevant norms and psychometric data supporting their use with older adults .
Anxiety disorders in later life: a report from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam.
OBJECTIVE To study the prevalence and risk factors of anxiety disorders in the older ( 55 - 85 ) population of The Netherl and s. METHOD The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam ( LASA ) is based on a r and om sample of 3107 older adults , stratified for age and sex , which was drawn from the community registries of 11 municipalities in three regions in The Netherl and s. Anxiety disorders were diagnosed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule in a two-stage screening design . The risk factors under study comprise vulnerability , stress and network-related variables . Both bivariate and multivariate statistical methods were used to evaluate the risk factors . RESULTS The overall prevalence of anxiety disorders was estimated at 10.2 % . Generalized anxiety disorder was the most common disorder ( 7.3 % ) , followed by phobic disorders ( 3.1 % ) . Both panic disorder ( 1.0 % ) and obsessive compulsive disorder ( 0.6 % ) were rare . These figures are roughly similar to previous findings . Ageing itself did not have any impact on the prevalence in both bivariate and multivariate analyses . The impact of other factors did not change much with age . Vulnerability factors ( female sex , lower levels of education , having suffered extreme experiences during World War II and external locus of control ) appeared to dominate , while stresses commonly experienced by older people ( recent losses in the family and chronic physical illness ) also played a part . Of the network-related variables , only a smaller size of the network was associated with anxiety disorders . CONCLUSIONS Anxiety disorders are common in later life . The risk factors support using a vulnerability-stress model to conceptualize anxiety disorders . Although the prevalence of risk factors changes dramatically with age , their impact is not age-dependent . The risk factors indicate which groups of older people are at a high risk for anxiety disorders and in whom active screening and treatment may be warranted
Conclusions : Of the most commonly used measures , the majority lacked sufficient evidence to warrant their use with older adults .
Based on psychometric evidence , three measures ( Beck Anxiety Inventory , Penn State Worry Question naire , and Geriatric Mental Status Examination ) showed psychometric properties sufficient to justify the use of these instruments when assessing anxiety in older adults .
In addition , two measures developed specifically for older adults ( Worry Scale and Geriatric Anxiety Inventory ) were also found to be appropriate for use with older adults
Objectives : The authors set out to systematic ally review the research literature in order to identify the anxiety measures most commonly used in the assessment of older adults .
Once identified , the literature was review ed to determine the extent to which these instruments had age-relevant norms and psychometric data supporting their use with older adults .