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Beck Anxiety Inventory: Psychometric Characteristics in a Sample from the Clinical Spanish Population

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2014

Antonio J. Vázquez Morejón ,
Raquel Vázquez-Morejón Jiménez  and
Gloria Bellido Zanin
Antonio J. Vázquez Morejón*
Affiliation:
Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío (Spain)
Raquel Vázquez-Morejón Jiménez
Affiliation:
Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío (Spain)
Gloria Bellido Zanin
Affiliation:
Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Antonio J. Vázquez Morejón. Unidad de Salud Mental Comunitaria Guadalquivir. Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío. Ronda de Triana, 2 bajo. 41010. Sevilla (Spain). E-mail: ajvazquez@correo.cop.es
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Abstract

Even though the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) is one of the most popular instruments to assess anxiety today, only limited data is available about its psychometric characteristics and normative values in clinical Spanish populations. A study was conducted to test the psychometric characteristics of a Spanish adaptation of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) in a sample of 918 outpatients being treated at a community mental health center in Spain. Results confirmed the adaptation’s high internal consistency (∝ = .91), substantial test-retest reliability at 8–10 weeks (r = .84, p < .01), and satisfactory convergent validity with the Anxiety (r = .86, p < .01), Somatization (r = .81, p < .01), Obsessive-compulsive (r = .60, p < .01), and Phobic Anxiety (r = .63, p < .01) dimensions of the SCL-90-R, and with the Anxious Thoughts Inventory (r = .57, p < .01). Gender differences in BAI scores did occur, so normative values appear separately for each gender.

Keywords

anxietyassessmentBAIpsychometric characteristicsnormative values
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 17 , 2014 , E76
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2014 

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