The psychometric properties of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) among Korean university students

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: The seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) is a practical self-report measure that screens for the severity of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in primary care. Previous studies have shown that the GAD-7 is theoretically sound, but the results regarding its psychometric properties have been somewhat inconsistent with both adult and student samples. Despite these findings, the psychometric properties of the GAD-7 have remained untested among Korean university students, for whom the identification of efficient measures of these constructs is especially important. To determine the psychometric properties of the GAD-7, the present study examined the internal consistency, convergent validity, and underlying factor structure of the GAD-7 with a sample of Korean university students. METHODS: The sample consisted of 582 students attending a four-year university in South Korea. All participants completed the Korean version of the GAD-7, the Depression Anxiety, and Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The factor structure of the GAD-7 was assessed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and its convergent validity was determined by investigating its correlations with the DASS-21 and PHQ-9. RESULTS: CFA procedures confirmed that a modified one-factor model was an acceptable solution. The internal consistency of the scale was excellent. The GAD-7 showed a moderate to strong correlation with the three subscales of the DASS-21 and with the PHQ-9, confirming convergent validity. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the modified GAD-7 is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing generalized anxiety symptoms in university students. Its use for research and health care practice is warranted.