Abstract
Anxiety symptoms are common among adolescents. A well-validated and easy-to-use tool is indispensable to measure and detect anxiety for timely interventions. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 item (GAD-7) is a self-report scale used to measure the severity of anxiety and has been validated in adult populations, but psychometric properties of the GAD-7 remained rarely tested in adolescents. The study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of the GAD-7 in Chinese adolescents. Sex- and age-specific analyses were conducted in a large sample of adolescents (n = 67,281, aged 10–17 years). Our results showed that the GAD-7 scores were higher in female and older adolescents. The GAD-7 presented good internal consistency and a unidimensional structure across sex- and age-specific groups. The GAD-7 scores were significantly correlated with the scores of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 item (PHQ-9, a self-reported scale to measure depression symptoms) in all subgroups, indicating acceptable criterion validity. In conclusion, the GAD-7 is a scale with good psychometrics and can serve as a tool for anxiety screening in Chinese adolescents at the populational level.
Highlights
Anxiety is one of the most concerning mental health problems across the world affecting various populations [1], including adolescents
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 item (GAD-7) has been recognized with acceptable properties for screening generalized anxiety disorders in adults and adolescents in some countries
It is necessary to test the psychometric properties of the GAD-7 in more populations, such as adolescents in Asian countries
Summary
Anxiety is one of the most concerning mental health problems across the world affecting various populations [1], including adolescents. According to the global data, 6.5% of children and adolescents are suffering from anxiety disorders [2]. Some studies even reported that the prevalence of anxiety symptoms reached more than 30% among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic [4,5]. Anxiety disorders in adolescents can have long-term consequences on the quality of life and are often comorbid with other problems, such as depression, sleep disturbances, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [6,7,8,9]. It is crucial to have a suitable screening tool to help measure and identify anxiety among adolescents for subsequent treatment as early as possible. A suitable screening instrument should be well-validated, brief, easy to administer and score, able to be interpreted without extensive and professional training, feasible in practice, and free to use if possible
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