Mood And Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire Research Articles

Mood and anxiety symptom questionnaire anxiety items in an adult british clinical sample: One scale or two?

In seeking to establish British clinical normative data for the two anxiety scales (anxious symptoms and anxious arousal) of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ), the responses of 237 British National Health Service outpatients were examined. Factor analyses (exploratory and confirmatory) failed to confirm the expected structure. Data were presented and discussed, considering the 28 anxiety item pool in terms of being either two highly correlated scales of somatic anxiety versus psychological anxiety, or as a single general anxiety scale. As neither of these outcomes accorded with the test constructors' assumptions, it was concluded that the MASQ is not a suitable measure for assessing the tripartite model of adverse mood states in British clinical samples.

Basal cortisol levels in relation to dimensions and DSM-IV categories of depression and anxiety

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV classification may fail to adequately distinguish neuroendocrine factors involved in the etiology of depressive and anxiety disorders. Continuous phenotypic dimensions may correlate better with underlying neuroendocrine dysregulations. We compared the categorical DSM-IV diagnoses with a dimensional approach in the same group of outpatients with depressive ( n = 36), anxiety ( n = 18), and comorbid depressive and anxiety ( n = 19) disorders, who were free of psychotropic medication, and in 36 healthy controls. The Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) was used to measure the three dimensions of the tripartite model, i.e., anhedonic depression, anxious arousal, and general distress. The salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR) (0, 30, 45, and 60 min after awakening), and diurnal cortisol decline (11:00 h, 15:00 h, 19:00 h, and 23:00 h) were analyzed for linear and nonlinear associations. The CAR showed statistically significant nonlinear relationships with two MASQ dimensions, i.e., anhedonic depression and general distress, but no differences between DSM-IV categories. The diurnal cortisol decline was linearly related to the MASQ dimensions anhedonic depression and general distress and significantly higher AUC diurnal levels and a steeper slope were found in depressive patients compared to controls using DSM-IV categories. The present study shows that linear and nonlinear associations with salivary cortisol are detected when using phenotypic dimensions and may be complementary to phenotypic DSM-IV categories when doing neuroendocrine research.

Development and validation of a 30-item short adaptation of the Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire (MASQ)

The original Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire (MASQ) is a 90-item self-report, designed to measure the dimensions of Clark and Watson's tripartite model. We developed and validated a 30-item short adaptation of the MASQ: the MASQ-D30, which is more suitable for large-scale psychopathology research and has a clearer factor structure. The MASQ-D30 was developed through a process of item reduction and grouping of the appropriate subscales in a sample of 489 psychiatric outpatients, using a validated Dutch translation, based on the original English MASQ, as a starting point. Validation was done in two other large samples of 1461 and 2471 subjects, respectively, with an anxiety, somatoform and/or depression diagnosis or no psychiatric diagnosis. Psychometric properties were investigated and compared between the MASQ-D30 and the full (adapted) MASQ. A three-dimensional model (negative affect, positive affect and somatic arousal) was found to represent the data well, indicating good construct validity. The scales of the MASQ-D30 showed good internal consistency (all alphas > 0.87) in patient samples. Correlations of the subscales with other instruments indicated acceptable convergent validity. Psychometric properties were similar for the MASQ-D30 and the full questionnaire. In conclusion, the MASQ-D30 is a valid instrument to assess dimensional aspects of depression and anxiety and can easily be implemented in psychopathology studies.

Distinguishing between depression and anxiety: A proposal for an extension of the tripartite model

Aim The aim of the current study was to develop scales that assess symptoms of depression and anxiety and can adequately differentiate between depression and anxiety disorders, and also can distinguish within anxiety disorders. As point of departure, we used the tripartite model of Clark and Watson that discerns three dimensions: negative affect, positive affect and physiological hyperarousal. Methods Analyses were performed on the data of 1449 patients, who completed the Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire (MASQ) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). From this, 1434 patients were assessed with a standardized diagnostic interview. Results A model with five dimensions was found: depressed mood, lack of positive affect, somatic arousal, phobic fear and hostility. The scales appear capable to differentiate between patients with a mood and with an anxiety disorder. Within the anxiety disorders, somatic arousal was specific for patients with panic disorder. Phobic fear was associated with panic disorder, simple phobia and social anxiety disorder, but not with generalized anxiety disorder. Conclusions We present a five-factor model as an extension of the tripartite model. Through the addition of phobic fear, anxiety is better represented than in the tripartite model. The new scales are capable to accurately differentiate between depression and anxiety disorders, as well as between several anxiety disorders.

A factor analytic investigation of the Tripartite model of affect in a clinical sample of young Australians

BackgroundThe Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) was designed to specifically measure the Tripartite model of affect and is proposed to offer a delineation between the core components of anxiety and depression. Factor analytic data from adult clinical samples has shown mixed results; however no studies employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) have supported the predicted structure of distinct Depression, Anxiety and General Distress factors. The Tripartite model has not been validated in a clinical sample of older adolescents and young adults. The aim of the present study was to examine the validity of the Tripartite model using scale-level data from the MASQ and correlational and confirmatory factor analysis techniques.Methods137 young people (M = 17.78, SD = 2.63) referred to a specialist mental health service for adolescents and young adults completed the MASQ and diagnostic interview.ResultsAll MASQ scales were highly inter-correlated, with the lowest correlation between the depression- and anxiety-specific scales (r = .59). This pattern of correlations was observed for all participants rating for an Axis-I disorder but not for participants without a current disorder (r = .18). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the model fit of a number of solutions. The predicted Tripartite structure was not supported. A 2-factor model demonstrated superior model fit and parsimony compared to 1- or 3-factor models. These broad factors represented Depression and Anxiety and were highly correlated (r = .88).ConclusionThe present data lend support to the notion that the Tripartite model does not adequately explain the relationship between anxiety and depression in all clinical populations. Indeed, in the present study this model was found to be inappropriate for a help-seeking community sample of older adolescents and young adults.

Clinical utility of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) in a sample of young help-seekers

BackgroundThe overlap between Depression and Anxiety has led some researchers to conclude that they are manifestations of a broad, non-specific neurotic disorder. However, others believe that they can be distinguished despite sharing symptoms of general distress. The Tripartite Model of Affect proposes an anxiety-specific, a depression-specific and a shared symptoms factor. Watson and Clark developed the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) to specifically measure these Tripartite constructs. Early research showed that the MASQ distinguished between dimensions of Depression and Anxiety in non-clinical samples. However, two recent studies have cautioned that the MASQ may show limited validity in clinical populations. The present study investigated the clinical utility of the MASQ in a clinical sample of adolescents and young adults.MethodsA total of 204 Young people consecutively referred to a specialist public mental health service in Melbourne, Australia were approached and 150 consented to participate. From this, 136 participants completed both a diagnostic interview and the MASQ.ResultsThe majority of the sample rated for an Axis-I disorder, with Mood and Anxiety disorders most prevalent. The disorder-specific scales of the MASQ significantly discriminated Anxiety (61.0%) and Mood Disorders (72.8%), however, the predictive accuracy for presence of Anxiety Disorders was very low (29.8%). From ROC analyses, a proposed cut-off of 76 was proposed for the depression scale to indicate 'caseness' for Mood Disorders. The resulting sensitivity/specificity was superior to that of the CES-D.ConclusionIt was concluded that the depression-specific scale of the MASQ showed good clinical utility, but that the anxiety-specific scale showed poor discriminant validity.

Distinguishing between anxiety and depression using the Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire (MASQ)

To examine the discriminant validity of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) in a sample of young help-seekers. 136 young people referred to a psychiatric service completed a diagnostic interview and the MASQ. Participants were classified according to diagnostic status: Mood Only; Anxiety Only; Mixed Anxiety-Depression; Other DSM-IV Disorder; and No Axis-I Disorder. Participants in the Mood Only and Mixed groups scored significantly higher than the remaining groups on all MASQ scales. Participants in the Anxiety Only group did not score significantly higher than participants in the Other DSM-IV or No Diagnosis groups for any scale. Our finding supported the specificity of the depression-specific scale, however the purported anxiety-specific scale did not distinguish between those with and those without Anxiety disorders. It was hypothesised that in clinical samples, the MASQ may measure general psychological distress.

Discriminant validity of the MASQ in a clinical sample

A major weakness of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) is that its discriminant validity has not been demonstrated in a clinical population of anxiety and mood disorder patients. This paper, using 470 anxiety and mood disorder patients, assessed the discriminant validity of the MASQ. The MASQ subscales showed statistically significant discriminant validity, but their maximum ability to discriminate is low at 70%. Overall it was concluded that the MASQ had very weak clinical utility in differentiating anxiety and mood disorder patients, and gave rise to doubts as to the tripartite structure of the MASQ. When using the MASQ, future researchers should be mindful of its limitations when applied in a clinical population.

Association between psychotic experiences and depression in a clinical sample over 6 months

Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are used to identify individuals considered to be at Ultra High Risk (UHR) of, or prodromal for, psychotic disorder. They are also common in the general population and in clinical samples of non-psychotic individuals. Depression has been found to be an important factor in mediating outcome in those with PLEs in both community and UHR populations. It is associated with increased risk of transition to psychotic disorder in the UHR group, and with need for care in relation to PLEs in community samples. In this study we aimed to examine the 6-month outcome of PLEs in a sample of help-seeking young people aged 15 to 24 years in relation to their level of depression. Subjects ( n = 140) were assessed at baseline and 6 months for PLEs and depression. PLEs were measured by the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE). Depression was assessed as a continuous measure using the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) and categorically according to DSM-IV diagnosis of mood disorder. PLEs reduced in conjunction with an improvement in depression level and with remission of diagnosis of mood disorder. It is important to assess depression in those with PLEs and consider the need for treatment of the comorbid depressive syndrome. This may reduce the risk of worsening of PLEs and transition to psychotic disorder.

Factor Structure of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire does not Generalize to an Anxious/Depressed Sample

The tripartite model of anxiety and depression has been proposed as a representation of the structure of anxiety and depression symptoms. The Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) has been put forwards as a valid measure of the tripartite model of anxiety and depression symptoms. This research set out to examine the factor structure of anxiety and depression symptoms in a clinical sample to assess the MASQ's validity for use in this population. The present study uses confirmatory factor analytic methods to examine the psychometric properties of the MASQ in 470 outpatients with anxiety and mood disorder. The results showed that none of the previously reported two-factor, three-factor or five-factor models adequately fit the data, irrespective of whether items or subscales were used as the unit of analysis. It was concluded that the factor structure of the MASQ in a mixed anxiety/depression clinical sample does not support a structure consistent with the tripartite model. This suggests that researchers using the MASQ with anxious/depressed individuals should be mindful of the instrument's psychometric limitations.

Factor structure of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire does not generalize to an anxious/depressed sample

Objective: The tripartite model of anxiety and depression has been proposed as a representation of the structure of anxiety and depression symptoms. The Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) has been put forwards as a valid measure of the tripartite model of anxiety and depression symptoms. This research set out to examine the factor structure of anxiety and depression symptoms in a clinical sample to assess the MASQ's validity for use in this population.Method: The present study uses confirmatory factor analytic methods to examine the psychometric properties of the MASQ in 470 outpatients with anxiety and mood disorder.Results: The results showed that none of the previously reported two-factor, three-factor or five-factor models adequately fit the data, irrespective of whether items or subscales were used as the unit of analysis.Conclusion: It was concluded that the factor structure of the MASQ in a mixed anxiety/ depression clinical sample does not support a structure consistent with the tripartite model. This suggests that researchers using the MASQ with anxious/depressed individuals should be mindful of the instrument's psychometric limitations.

The tripartite model for assessing symptoms of anxiety and depression: Psychometrics of the Dutch version of the mood and anxiety symptoms questionnaire

Aim The tripartite model conceptualizes symptoms of depression and anxiety in three groups: low positive affect and anhedonia, which is specific to depression, somatic arousal, which is unique to anxiety, and nonspecific general distress. The Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire (MASQ) was developed to measure these symptom domains. This study reports on the psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the MASQ. Method The questionnaire was completed by a population-based sample and by patients with anxiety and/or mood disorders. Scores of these respondent groups were compared to assess the discriminant validity of the MASQ and evaluate the appropriateness of the tripartite model. Results The psychometric properties of the translated MASQ were highly satisfactory. In accordance with the model, we found the MASQ to comprise three main scales, which discriminate well between subgroups of patients with mood and anxiety disorders. Discussion Overall, like the English version the Dutch translation of the instrument appears to be a reliable and valid measure of symptoms of depression and anxiety, conceptualized as comprising three groups of symptoms. The Dutch MASQ is better able to distinguish unique aspects of mood and anxiety disorders than other self-report instruments.

Exploring the Factor Structure of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ)

L. A. Clark and Watson (1991) proposed a tripartite model of anxiety and depression defined in terms of common symptoms relating to general distress, anxiety-specific symptoms of hyperarousal, and depression-specific symptoms of low positive affect and loss of interest. To aid the measurement of and discrimination between anxiety and depression they developed the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ). Although potentially useful, the MASQ is still in an early stage of development, and there is an indication that a discrepancy exists between items and scales. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the items and factors of the MASQ and determine whether a pattern similar to that suggested by L. A. Clark and Watson would emerge. Factor analysis of the MASQ revealed 3 factors relating to general distress, positive affect, and anxious arousal. Inspection of the individual items indicated that some refinements are required.

Testing the discriminant and convergent validity of the mood and anxiety symptoms questionnaire using a British sample

The tripartite model of Clark and Watson (1991) was investigated by examining the discriminant and convergent validity of the Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire (MASQ) using a sample of British students. The performance of the MASQ compared very favourably with that of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The MASQ Anxious Arousal and Anhedonic Depression sub-scales were best able to discriminate between anxiety and depression and showed high levels of convergent validity. The HADS Anxiety and Depression scales, on the other hand, showed a distinct lack of discriminatory ability suggesting that they both measure depression and/or general distress symptoms. These findings support those of previous research in that although anxiety and depression share a general distress element, they can be discriminated by concentrating on specific symptoms.