Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Background. Self-rating scales are widely used in general adult practice; however, there is no reliable and valid method for assessing state anxiety in people with intellectual disability (ID). The present study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of a new scale, the Glasgow Anxiety Scale for People with an Intellectual Disability (GAS-ID). Methods. First, an item pool was generated from focus groups, a review of the literature and clinician feedback. Secondly, a draft scale was administered to 19 anxious and 16 non-anxious people with ID for further validation and appraisal of reliability. Thirdly, the scale was completed by 19 anxious, non-ID people for cross-validation with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Finally, physiological concomitants were validated by pulse-oximetry. Results. The 27-item GAS-ID discriminated anxious from non-anxious participants, had good test-retest reliability (r=0.95) and internal consistency (α=0.96), and was reasonably correlated with the BAI (ρ=0.75). The correlation between the physiological subscale of the GAS-ID and changes in pulse rate was moderately significant (ρ=0.52). Conclusions. This preliminary study suggests that the GAS-ID offers a psychometrically robust and practical (5-10 min) approach to the appraisal of anxiety in this population.

Original publication

DOI

10.1046/j.1365-2788.2003.00457.x

Type

Journal article

Journal

Journal of Intellectual Disability Research

Publication Date

01/01/2003

Volume

47

Pages

22 - 30