• DOI:10.1097/MLR.0b013e318160d093
• Corpus ID: 16052239

Validation and Standardization of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) in the General Population

@article{Lwe2008ValidationAS,
  title={Validation and Standardization of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) in the General Population},
  author={Bernd L{\"o}we and Oliver Decker and Stefanie Verena M{\"u}ller and Elmar Br{\"a}hler and Dieter Schellberg and Wolfgang Herzog and Philipp Yorck Herzberg},
  journal={Medical Care},
  year={2008},
  volume={46},
  pages={266-274}
}

• B. Löwe, O. Decker, +4 authors P. Herzberg
• Published 28 February 2008
• Psychology, Medicine
• Medical Care

Background:The 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) is a practical self-report anxiety questionnaire that proved valid in primary care. However, the GAD-7 was not yet validated in the general population and thus far, normative data are not available. Objectives:To investigate reliability, construct validity, and factorial validity of the GAD-7 in the general population and to generate normative data. Research Design:Nationally representative face-to-face household survey conducted in Germany between May 5 and June 8, 2006. Subjects:Five thousand thirty subjects (53.6% female) with a mean age (SD) of 48.4 (18.0) years. Measures:The survey questionnaire included the GAD-7, the 2-item depression module from the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and demographic characteristics. Results:Confirmatory factor analyses substantiated the 1-dimensional structure of the GAD-7 and its factorial invariance for gender and age. Internal consistency was identical across all subgroups (α = 0.89). Intercorrelations with the PHQ-2 and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were r = 0.64 (P < 0.001) and r = −0.43 (P < 0.001), respectively. As expected, women had significantly higher mean (SD) GAD-7 anxiety scores compared with men [3.2 (3.5) vs. 2.7 (3.2); P < 0.001]. Normative data for the GAD-7 were generated for both genders and different age levels. Approximately 5% of subjects had GAD-7 scores of 10 or greater, and 1% had GAD-7 scores of 15 or greater. Conclusions:Evidence supports reliability and validity of the GAD-7 as a measure of anxiety in the general population. The normative data provided in this study can be used to compare a subject's GAD-7 score with those determined from a general population reference group.