A-140 Single-Item Screening for Anxiety and Depression using the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory

Abstract

Abstract Objective Previous research in a Veterans Affairs sample proposed using single items on the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) to screen for anxiety (item 19) and depression (item 20). This study examined the approach in an outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation sample. Method Participants (N = 84) underwent outpatient neuropsychological evaluation using the NSI, BDI-II, GAD-7, MMPI-2-RF, and Memory Complaints Inventory (MCI) among other measures. Anxiety and depression were psychometrically determined via cutoffs on the GAD-7 (>4) and MMPI-2-RF ANX (>64 T), and BDI-II (>13) and MMPI-2-RF RC2 (>64 T), respectively. Analyses included receiver operating characteristic analysis (ROC) and logistic regression. Logistic regression models used dichotomous anxiety and depression as outcomes and relevant NSI items and MCI average score as predictors. Results ROC analysis using NSI items to classify cases showed area under the curve (AUC) values of .77 for anxiety and .85 for depression. The logistic regression model predicting anxiety correctly classified 80% of cases with AUC of .86. The logistic regression model predicting depression correctly classified 79% of cases with AUC of .88. Conclusion Findings support the utility of NSI anxiety and depression items as screening measures in a rehabilitation population. Consideration of symptom validity via the MCI improved classification accuracy of the regression models. The approach may be useful in other clinical settings for quick assessment of psychological issues warranting further evaluation.