Is the beck anxiety inventory a good tool to assess the severity of anxiety? A primary care study in The Netherlands study of depression and anxiety (NESDA)

BMC Family Practice

Research Article

Harm WJ van Marwijk¹  Brenda WJH Penninx²  Anton JLM van Balkom³  Philip Spinhoven⁴  Christina M van der Feltz-Cornelis⁵  Anna DT Muntingh⁶ 

[1] EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research (EMGO+), PO Box 7057, 1007, Amsterdam, MB, The Netherlands;Department of General Practice, VU University Medical Centre, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081, Amsterdam, BT, The Netherlands;EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research (EMGO+), PO Box 7057, 1007, Amsterdam, MB, The Netherlands;Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300, Leiden, RC, The Netherlands;Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Centre, A.J. Ernststraat 1187, 1081, Amsterdam, HL, The Netherlands;Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Groningen, PO Box 30.001, 9700, Groningen, RB, The Netherlands;EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research (EMGO+), PO Box 7057, 1007, Amsterdam, MB, The Netherlands;Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Centre, A.J. Ernststraat 1187, 1081, Amsterdam, HL, The Netherlands;Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, PO Box 9555, 2300, Leiden, RB, The Netherlands;Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300, Leiden, RC, The Netherlands;Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction (Trimbos Institute), PO Box 725, 3500, Utrecht, AS, The Netherlands;Department of Developmental, Clinical and Cross-cultural Psychology, Tilburg University, PO Box 90153, 5000, Tilburg, LE, The Netherlands;Academic Psychiatry Department GGZ Breburg, Lage Witsiebaan 4, 5042, Tilburg, DA, The Netherlands;Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction (Trimbos Institute), PO Box 725, 3500, Utrecht, AS, The Netherlands;EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research (EMGO+), PO Box 7057, 1007, Amsterdam, MB, The Netherlands;Department of General Practice, VU University Medical Centre, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081, Amsterdam, BT, The Netherlands;Department of Developmental, Clinical and Cross-cultural Psychology, Tilburg University, PO Box 90153, 5000, Tilburg, LE, The Netherlands;

关键词: Depressive Disorder;    Anxiety Disorder;    Generalize Anxiety Disorder;    Social Phobia;    Panic Disorder;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2296-12-66

 received in 2011-03-23, accepted in 2011-07-04,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAppropriate management of anxiety disorders in primary care requires clinical assessment and monitoring of the severity of the anxiety. This study focuses on the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) as a severity indicator for anxiety in primary care patients with different anxiety disorders (social phobia, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, agoraphobia or generalized anxiety disorder), depressive disorders or no disorder (controls).MethodsParticipants were 1601 primary care patients participating in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). Regression analyses were used to compare the mean BAI scores of the different diagnostic groups and to correct for age and gender.ResultsPatients with any anxiety disorder had a significantly higher mean score than the controls. A significantly higher score was found for patients with panic disorder and agoraphobia compared to patients with agoraphobia only or social phobia only. BAI scores in patients with an anxiety disorder with a co-morbid anxiety disorder and in patients with an anxiety disorder with a co-morbid depressive disorder were significantly higher than BAI scores in patients with an anxiety disorder alone or patients with a depressive disorder alone. Depressed and anxious patients did not differ significantly in their mean scores.ConclusionsThe results suggest that the BAI may be used as a severity indicator of anxiety in primary care patients with different anxiety disorders. However, because the instrument seems to reflect the severity of depression as well, it is not a suitable instrument to discriminate between anxiety and depression in a primary care population.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Muntingh et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011