K Kvaal1, K Laake, K Engedal. 1. University of Oslo, Research Group in Geriatrics of the Norwegian National Health Association, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Ullevaal University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. kari.kvaal@ioks.uio.no
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A conspicuously high score on the state part of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) has been observed among geriatric inpatients who are neither demented nor critically ill; 43% of them had a sumscore that, according to Spielberger's criteria, would reflect clinically relevant anxiety symptoms. OBJECTIVES: To explore the reasons for this high score. METHODS: 101 geriatric inpatients and 68 healthy controls of similar age, living at home and recruited through senior citizen centres participated in a controlled cross-sectional study. RESULTS: High item-scores were more frequent on the symptom-negative items than on the symptom-positive items. Multi-group factor analysis produced two factors termed 'well-being' and 'nervousness', which had a moderate correlation (0.61). The intercept was much higher on 'well-being' than on 'nervousness', showing that a lack of well-being contributes significantly to the high score on the STAI. This confounds the sumscore. However, the geriatric inpatients nevertheless had a high score on the factor 'nervousness'. Female controls scored higher than males on both factors, whereas among the geriatric patients neither age nor gender related to them. CONCLUSIONS: The STAI state sumscore is a biased indicator of anxiety in geriatric inpatients owing to confounding by well-being. The most important cause for the observed high score on the STAI state instrument in geriatric patients relates to a reduced well-being. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
BACKGROUND: A conspicuously high score on the state part of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) has been observed among geriatric inpatients who are neither demented nor critically ill; 43% of them had a sumscore that, according to Spielberger's criteria, would reflect clinically relevant anxiety symptoms. OBJECTIVES: To explore the reasons for this high score. METHODS: 101 geriatric inpatients and 68 healthy controls of similar age, living at home and recruited through senior citizen centres participated in a controlled cross-sectional study. RESULTS: High item-scores were more frequent on the symptom-negative items than on the symptom-positive items. Multi-group factor analysis produced two factors termed 'well-being' and 'nervousness', which had a moderate correlation (0.61). The intercept was much higher on 'well-being' than on 'nervousness', showing that a lack of well-being contributes significantly to the high score on the STAI. This confounds the sumscore. However, the geriatric inpatients nevertheless had a high score on the factor 'nervousness'. Female controls scored higher than males on both factors, whereas among the geriatric patients neither age nor gender related to them. CONCLUSIONS: The STAI state sumscore is a biased indicator of anxiety in geriatric inpatients owing to confounding by well-being. The most important cause for the observed high score on the STAI state instrument in geriatric patients relates to a reduced well-being. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Authors: Desiree Y Phua; Helen Chen; Yap Seng Chong; Peter D Gluckman; Birit F P Broekman; Michael J Meaney Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2020-08-06 Impact factor: 4.157
Authors: Konstantinos N Fountoulakis; Marina Papadopoulou; Soula Kleanthous; Anna Papadopoulou; Vasiliki Bizeli; Ioannis Nimatoudis; Apostolos Iacovides; George S Kaprinis Journal: Ann Gen Psychiatry Date: 2006-01-31 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Hayley Irusen; Henriette Burger; Pedro W Fernandez; Andre Van der Merwe; Tonya Esterhuizen; Danelo E du Plessis; Soraya Seedat Journal: Cancer Control Date: 2022 Jan-Dec Impact factor: 2.339
Authors: Patricia K Palmer; Kathryn Wehrmeyer; Marianne P Florian; Charles Raison; Ellen Idler; Jennifer S Mascaro Journal: PLoS One Date: 2021-12-06 Impact factor: 3.240