Assessing worry in older and younger adults: Psychometric properties of an abbreviated Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ-A)

Abstract

Among older adults, recent work indicated that Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) data fit poorly with previously established models, leading to use of model modification procedures to create an abbreviated worry questionnaire (PSWQ-A; Hopko, D. R., Stanley, M. A., Reas, D. L., Wetherell, J. L., Beck, J. G., Novy, D. M., et al. (2003). Assessing worry in older adults: Confirmatory factor analyses of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and psychometric properties of an abbreviated model. Psychological Assessment, 15, 173–183). Given limitations of this prior study that included the post hoc statistical development of the scale and undefined relevance toward assessing worry in younger cohorts, psychometric properties of the PSWQ-A were explored among independent samples of older ( n = 115) and younger adults ( n = 183). Exploratory factor analyses supported a unidimensional model (breadth and control of worry) that accounted for substantial variance in older (57%) and younger adult samples (70%) and was associated with high factor loadings (.66–.89). Internal consistency ( α = .89–.94) and test–retest reliability ( r = .87–.95) was strong in both samples. Moderate to strong convergent validity with measures of worry and anxiety was evident ( r = .46–.83), as was support for the construct validity of the PSWQ-A via its relation to the PSWQ ( r = .65–.83) and similar relations with other anxiety and worry measures. Although further study is required, the PSWQ-A may be a parsimonious method to assess worry in older and younger adults.