Internal Validity and Reliability of the GAD-7 Test in Latin America

Internal Validity and Reliability of the GAD-7 Test in Latin America

Generalized anxiety has significantly increased in the general population during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for rapid screening tools. In this context, the present study analyzed the psychometric properties and internal consistency of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scal...

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Main Authors: Norman López, Breiner Morales-Asencio, Daniela Ripoll-Córdoba, Juancarlos Coronado-López, Nicole Caldichoury, César Quispe-Ayala, David Salazar, Yuliana Florez, Irina Flores-Poma, Cesar Castellanos, Jorge Herrera Pino, Indalecio Quispe-Rodríguez, Juan Cárdenas-Valverde, Karen Alcos-Flores, Elsa Muñoz-Romero, Kattia Cantillo-Pacheco, Paola Martínez-Sande, Loida Camargo, Ninoska Ocampo-Barba, Boris Zurita-Cueva, Juan Martínez, Cristian Araya, Cristian Romo, Regulo Antezana, Raúl Quincho-Apumayta, Pascual A. Gargiulo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-03-01
Series:Chronic Stress
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/24705470251315260
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Summary:Generalized anxiety has significantly increased in the general population during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for rapid screening tools. In this context, the present study analyzed the psychometric properties and internal consistency of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) in healthcare workers and the general population in Latin America. A cross-sectional e-health study was conducted, surveying 11,279 Latin Americans online using snowball sampling. The sample included healthcare professionals, hospital populations, community members from various occupations, and university students from six countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, and Peru). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were performed separately for each country. Additionally, the instrument's internal consistency was evaluated by calculating McDonald's W index and item-total correlations based on the final items. The EFA revealed a unidimensional structure comprising the seven items of the instrument, which explained between 62.8% and 66.1% of the variance (KMO = between .900 and .910; p < .000). The CFA confirmed adequate fit indices for each country. The omega index ranged from 0.85 (Peru: CI = 0.800-0.884) to 0.95 (Argentina-Bolivia: CI = 0.901-0.985), and item-total correlations were high, ranging from .642 to .869, demonstrating the instrument's reliability. In conclusion, the findings of this study indicate that the GAD-7 is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing generalized anxiety symptoms in the Latin American population.
ISSN:2470-5470

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