Comparison of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and abbreviated version (PSWQ-A) in a clinical and non-clinical population of older adults

Viviana M. Wuthrich; Carly Johnco; Ashleigh Knight

doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.07.005

Comparison of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and abbreviated version (PSWQ-A) in a clinical and non-clinical population of older adults

Viviana M. Wuthrich^*, Carly Johnco, Ashleigh Knight

^*Corresponding author for this work

Centre for Emotional Health (CEH)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

42 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is a widely used measure of worry severity. An 8-item abbreviated version (PSWQ-A) has been developed as a brief screening measure, although there are limited studies assessing the psychometric properties of this measure in a large geriatric population. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of the PSWQ-A compared to the full PSWQ, to identify pathological worry in an older adult sample (N= 108) of clinically anxious and depressed older adults, compared to a non-clinical sample (N= 53). The PSWQ and PSWQ-A were found to have similarly adequate reliability and validity. The factor structure of the PSWQ-A was replicated, but not for the PSWQ. Both measures accurately distinguished between clinical and non-clinical status with similar sensitivity and specificity. These findings indicate the PSWQ-A is a useful measure for screening or epidemiological studies assessing worry in geriatric populations.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	657-663
Number of pages	7
Journal	Journal of Anxiety Disorders
Volume	28
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.07.005
Publication status	Published - Oct 2014

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2014. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

PSWQ-A
Penn State Worry Questionnaire
abbreviated
geriatric
older adult
worry
generalized anxiety disorder

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10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.07.005

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Cite this

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title = "Comparison of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and abbreviated version (PSWQ-A) in a clinical and non-clinical population of older adults",

abstract = "The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is a widely used measure of worry severity. An 8-item abbreviated version (PSWQ-A) has been developed as a brief screening measure, although there are limited studies assessing the psychometric properties of this measure in a large geriatric population. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of the PSWQ-A compared to the full PSWQ, to identify pathological worry in an older adult sample (N= 108) of clinically anxious and depressed older adults, compared to a non-clinical sample (N= 53). The PSWQ and PSWQ-A were found to have similarly adequate reliability and validity. The factor structure of the PSWQ-A was replicated, but not for the PSWQ. Both measures accurately distinguished between clinical and non-clinical status with similar sensitivity and specificity. These findings indicate the PSWQ-A is a useful measure for screening or epidemiological studies assessing worry in geriatric populations.",

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author = "Wuthrich, {Viviana M.} and Carly Johnco and Ashleigh Knight",

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AU - Knight, Ashleigh

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Comparison of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and abbreviated version (PSWQ-A) in a clinical and non-clinical population of older adults

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

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Investigation of the effectiveness of group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for comorbid anxiety and depression in older adults

Cite this

Comparison of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and abbreviated version (PSWQ-A) in a clinical and non-clinical population of older adults

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Investigation of the effectiveness of group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for comorbid anxiety and depression in older adults

Cite this