The Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA-27): reliability of the German translation, factor structure, and concurrent validity with anxiety sensitivity and agoraphobic cognition.

IF 0.9 4区医学 Q4 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY Nervenarzt Pub Date : 2025-03-17 DOI:10.1007/s00115-025-01806-w

Patrik D Seuling, Michael G Gottschalk, Melanie Vietz, Ulrike Lueken, Tina B Lonsdorf, Udo Dannlowski, Paul Pauli, Jürgen Deckert, Stefano Pini, Vijaya Manicavasagar, Katharina Domschke, Miriam A Schiele

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Separation anxiety disorder (SEPAD) is characterized by pronounced fear or anxiety concerning separation from attachment figures. Despite its high lifetime prevalence, adult SEPAD often remains undetected due to a lack of diagnostic tools in multiple languages. The Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA-27) is a key instrument for assessing symptoms of SEPAD in adults. However, no validated German version is available.

Objectives: This study addressed the translation and validation of the ASA-27 in a German-speaking population to introduce the first German questionnaire assessing SEPAD.

Materials and methods: A consecutive forward and backward translation was conducted. Reliability and validity of the German ASA-27 against several established anxiety-related psychometric scores were assessed in a large sample of 1520 healthy participants.

Results: Results revealed robust internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.87) and a factor structure explaining 49.7% of variations in answers. Concurrent validity was confirmed through significant correlations with established anxiety measures. Younger age and female sex were positively correlated with ASA-27 scores.

Conclusion: The German ASA-27 constitutes a promising diagnostic tool for adult SEPAD with sound psychometric properties and a coherent factor structure, offering a structured and reliable assessment of SEPAD and its dimensional evaluation in German-speaking populations.

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来源期刊

Nervenarzt 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

2.50

自引率

18.20%

发文量

169

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Der Nervenarzt is an internationally recognized journal addressing neurologists and psychiatrists working in clinical or practical environments. Essential findings and current information from neurology, psychiatry as well as neuropathology, neurosurgery up to psychotherapy are presented. Review articles provide an overview on selected topics and offer the reader a summary of current findings from all fields of neurology and psychiatry. Freely submitted original papers allow the presentation of important clinical studies and serve the scientific exchange. Review articles under the rubric ''Continuing Medical Education'' present verified results of scientific research and their integration into daily practice.