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 .
A validation study of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in different groups of Dutch subjects.
BACKGROUND Research on the dimensional structure and reliability of the  Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale  ( HADS  ) and its relationship with age is scarce . Moreover , its efficacy in determining the presence of depression in different patient groups has been question ed . METHODS Psychometric properties of the HADS were assessed in six different groups of Dutch subjects ( N = 6165 ) : ( 1 ) a r and om sample of younger adults ( age 18 - 65 years ) ( N = 199 ) ; ( 2 ) a r and om sample of elderly subjects of 57 to 65 years of age ( N = 1901 ) ; ( 3 ) a r and om sample of elderly subjects of 66 years or older ( N = 3293 ) ; ( 4 ) a sample of consecutive general practice patients ( N = 112 ) ; ( 5 ) a sample of consecutive general medical out- patients with unexplained somatic symptoms ( N = 169 ) ; and ( 6 ) a sample of consecutive psychiatric out- patients ( N = 491 ) . RESULTS Evidence for a two-factor solution corresponding to the original two subscales of the HADS was found , although anxiety and depression subscales were strongly correlated . Homogeneity and test-retest reliability of the total scale and the subscales were good . The dimensional structure and reliability of the HADS was stable across medical setting s and age groups . The correlations between HADS scores and age were small . The total HADS scale showed a better balance between sensitivity and positive predictive value ( PPV ) in identifying cases of psychiatric disorder as defined by the Present State Examination than the depression subscale in identifying cases of unipolar depression as defined by ICD-8 . CONCLUSIONS The moderate PPV suggests that the HADS is best used as a screening question naire and not as a ' case-identifier ' for psychiatric disorder or depression
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 .