Symptoms of Anxiety in Older Adults with Depression, Dementia, or Psychosis: A Principal Component Analysis of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory

Abstract

Aims: The primary aim of this study was to examine anxiety symptoms as measured by the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) in older patients with depression, dementia, or psychotic disorders. The secondary aim was to conduct a principal component analysis (PCA) of the GAI and to examine whether its subscales differ between the 3 disorders. Methods: We included data from 428 patients who were admitted to a department of geriatric psychiatry and examined according to a standardized protocol. The GAI was used to measure current anxiety symptoms. Results: The GAI symptoms occurred more frequently in the group with depression than in the other 2 groups. The PCA of the GAI with oblimin rotation resulted in a 2-component solution, labelled as “worries” (explained variance 46.3%, Cronbach's α 0.92) and “physical symptoms” (explained variance 7.1%, Cronbach's α 0.85). Conclusion: The results indicate that in old age, anxiety is especially prevalent in depression. The 2-component solution indicates that the GAI measures 2 different aspects of anxiety with different symptomatology.