Juan A Moriana1, Francisco J Jurado-González1, Francisco García-Torres1, Alba Contreras2, Roger Muñoz-Navarro3, César González-Blanch4, Leonardo A Medrano5, Paloma Ruiz-Rodríguez6, Antonio Cano-Vindel7. 1. Department of Psychology, Maimónides Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Cordoba (IMIBIC), Reina Sofia University Hospital, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain. 2. Department of Personality, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain. 3. Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, Teruel, Spain. 4. Mental Health Centre, University Hospital Marques de Valdecilla-IDIVAL, Santander, Cantabria, Spain. 5. Faculty of Psychology, University Siglo 21, Córdoba, Argentina. 6. Castilla la Nueva Primary Care Centre, Health Service of Madrid, Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain. 7. Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Anxiety symptoms are one of the most frequent manifestations in people attending primary care, although how the symptoms are associated is unclear. This study aimed to establish the symptom structure of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) using a novel network approach in combination with traditional analytical tools. METHODS: A sample of 1704 primary care patients with emotional disorders (i.e., anxiety, depression, and/or somatization) completed the GAD-7 to report their anxiety symptoms. We examined the GAD-7 structure using exploratory graph analysis (EGA) compared to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: The EFA results showed a one-factor solution, but EGA revealed a two-factor solution (cognitive-emotional and somatic). "Worrying too much" and "difficulty relaxing" were the most relevant symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the possible distinction between the somatic and cognitive-emotional components of the GAD-7, thus permitting more specific screening in primary care settings.
OBJECTIVE: Anxiety symptoms are one of the most frequent manifestations in people attending primary care, although how the symptoms are associated is unclear. This study aimed to establish the symptom structure of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) using a novel network approach in combination with traditional analytical tools. METHODS: A sample of 1704 primary care patients with emotional disorders (i.e., anxiety, depression, and/or somatization) completed the GAD-7 to report their anxiety symptoms. We examined the GAD-7 structure using exploratory graph analysis (EGA) compared to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: The EFA results showed a one-factor solution, but EGA revealed a two-factor solution (cognitive-emotional and somatic). "Worrying too much" and "difficulty relaxing" were the most relevant symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the possible distinction between the somatic and cognitive-emotional components of the GAD-7, thus permitting more specific screening in primary care settings.