Examination of the utility of the Beck Anxiety Inventory and its factors as a screener for anxiety disorders

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Abstract

The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS-IV) were administered to 193 adults at a major Midwestern university recruited from an anxiety research and treatment center. The BAI and its four factor scores were compared from individuals with a primary diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), specific or social phobia, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and no psychiatric diagnosis. The cut scores on the BAI and its factors, their sensitivity, specificity, as well as positive and negative predictive values were calculated for each group. The results of this study support previous findings that the strongest quality of the BAI is its ability to assess panic symptomatology. The present study also expands on this notion by establishing that the BAI can be used as an efficient screening tool for distinguishing between individuals with and without panic disorder.

Section snippets

Participants

The study sample was obtained from consecutive adult referrals to an anxiety research and treatment center from 1994 to 2004. Two hundred eleven individuals participated in the study. Five individuals had a primary diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and were excluded from the analyses because of the small number. Individuals with a primary diagnosis of an affective disorder (major depressive, dysthymic, and bipolar disorders) or an adjustment disorder were excluded (N = 13). The

Sample diagnoses

Forty-four individuals (22.8%) received a primary diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Thirty-seven individuals (19.2%) received a primary diagnosis of either specific or social phobia. Thirty-six individuals (18.7%) received a primary diagnosis of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. Twelve individuals (6.2%) received a primary diagnosis of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Sixty-four individuals (33.2%) received no psychiatric diagnosis.

BAI total score comparison between the primary diagnoses

The participants’ BAI scores

Discussion

The present study examined utility of the BAI and its four factors by determining whether they differ significantly between various anxiety disorders and what the cut scores are for the BAI and its factors for these disorders. The BAI scores of individuals with panic disorder, phobia, GAD, OCD, and no diagnosis were compared. The mean scores across the same diagnostic groups were then compared for the four factors of the BAI as found by Beck and Steer (1991) and confirmed by others. The ROC

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