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 .
Treatment of generalized anxiety disorder in older adults.
Older adults with generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ; N = 75 ; M age = 67.1 years ) were r and omly assigned to cognitive-behavioral therapy ( CBT ) , a discussion group ( DG ) organized around worry-provoking topics , or a waiting period . Participants in both active conditions improved relative to the waiting list . Although CBT participants improved on more measures than DG participants , the authors found only I significant difference immediately after treatment and no differences at 6-month follow-up . Effect sizes were smaller than in younger sample s , but CBT showed large effects and DG showed medium-sized effects Overall , results indicate that brief treatment of late-life GAD  is beneficial , but they provide only limited support for the superiority of CBT to a credible comparison intervention
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 .