Factorial invariance of the generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) in Latin America and the Caribbean
IntroductionThe prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) has increased rapidly, highlighting the importance of its detection using quick tools applicable to men and women from different countries.ObjectiveTo analyze the psychometric properties of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Test (GAD-7)...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1529424/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832582067389464576 |
|---|---|
| author | Norman López Norman López Juan-Carlos Coronado Daniela Ripoll-Córdoba Nicole Caldichoury César Quispe-Ayala Breiner Morales-Asencio Raúl Quincho-Apumayta Cesar Castellanos Juan Martínez Juan Cárdenas-Valverde Luis Mario Castellanos-Alvarenga David Salazar Irina Flores-Poma Jorge Herrera-Pino Wendy Bada Yuliana Flórez Karen Alcos-Flores Boris Zurita-Cueva Elsa Muñoz Romero Cristian Romo Regulo Antezana Claudio Avila Saldaña Pascual A. Gargiulo |
| author_facet | Norman López Norman López Juan-Carlos Coronado Daniela Ripoll-Córdoba Nicole Caldichoury César Quispe-Ayala Breiner Morales-Asencio Raúl Quincho-Apumayta Cesar Castellanos Juan Martínez Juan Cárdenas-Valverde Luis Mario Castellanos-Alvarenga David Salazar Irina Flores-Poma Jorge Herrera-Pino Wendy Bada Yuliana Flórez Karen Alcos-Flores Boris Zurita-Cueva Elsa Muñoz Romero Cristian Romo Regulo Antezana Claudio Avila Saldaña Pascual A. Gargiulo |
| author_sort | Norman López |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionThe prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) has increased rapidly, highlighting the importance of its detection using quick tools applicable to men and women from different countries.ObjectiveTo analyze the psychometric properties of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Test (GAD-7) by gender and country in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).MethodA cross-sectional e-health study with 12,124 participants from 15 LAC countries (54.32% women, 45.68% men) was conducted, including participants from Argentina (7.3%), Bolivia (6.7%), Colombia (10.3%), Chile (6.9%), Costa Rica (4.9%), El Salvador (5.7%), Ecuador (7.2%), Guatemala (4.7%), Panama (5.1%), Paraguay (5.7%), Peru (8.6%), Puerto Rico (5.8%), the Dominican Republic (6.6%), Uruguay (6.3%), and Venezuela (8.2%). All participants completed the GAD-7 scale digitally.ResultsA unidimensional structure of the GAD-7 was confirmed, explaining 70% of the variance. The model fit indices were adequate (RMSEA = 0.062; CFI = 0.997; TLI = 0.995; SRMR = 0.017; p < 0.001), and the factor loadings for each item were satisfactory (> 0.70). Additionally, the factor structure showed measurement invariance between genders and countries, with adequate fit indices at all levels (configural, metric, scalar, and strict), suggesting that the measurements are equivalent in both contexts. Finally, the internal consistency of the GAD-7 was high, with a McDonald’s Omega coefficient of 0.91.ConclusionsThe GAD-7 exhibits a factor structure that is equivalent across genders and countries, demonstrating its validity and reliability for the rapid detection of GAD symptoms in different countries within the region. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f35ac0e9e9394d76b31456a24041fa2f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-f35ac0e9e9394d76b31456a24041fa2f2025-01-30T06:22:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-01-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.15294241529424Factorial invariance of the generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) in Latin America and the CaribbeanNorman López0Norman López1Juan-Carlos Coronado2Daniela Ripoll-Córdoba3Nicole Caldichoury4César Quispe-Ayala5Breiner Morales-Asencio6Raúl Quincho-Apumayta7Cesar Castellanos8Juan Martínez9Juan Cárdenas-Valverde10Luis Mario Castellanos-Alvarenga11David Salazar12Irina Flores-Poma13Jorge Herrera-Pino14Wendy Bada15Yuliana Flórez16Karen Alcos-Flores17Boris Zurita-Cueva18Elsa Muñoz Romero19Cristian Romo20Regulo Antezana21Claudio Avila Saldaña22Pascual A. Gargiulo23Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santo Tomas, Temuco, ChileDepartamento de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, ColombiaDepartamento de Procesos Terapéuticos, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco, ChileDepartamento de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, ColombiaDepartamento de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Los Lagos, Osorno, ChileUniversidad Nacional de Huancavelica, Huancavelica, PeruDepartamento de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, ColombiaUniversidad Nacional de Huancavelica, Huancavelica, PeruInstituto Dominicano para el Estudio de la Salud Integral y la Psicología Aplicada (IDESIP), Santo Domingo, Dominican RepublicGraduate School of Education, Ana G. Mendez University, Caguas, Puerto RicoUniversidad César Vallejo, Lima, PeruEscuela de Psicología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Comunicaciones, Universidad Santo Tomás, Temuco, Chile0Facultad de Educación, Universidad Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrión, Cerro de Pasco, PeruUniversidad Nacional de Huancavelica, Huancavelica, Peru1College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States2Departamento Académico de Pedagogía y Humanidades, Facultad de Educación Intercultural y Humanidades, Universidad Nacional Intercultural de la Amazonia, Pucallpa, PeruDepartamento de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, ColombiaUniversidad Nacional de Huancavelica, Huancavelica, Peru3Departamento de Neurocirugía, Omni Hospital, Guayaquil, Ecuador0Facultad de Educación, Universidad Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrión, Cerro de Pasco, Peru4Departamento de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad de Los Lagos, Osorno, ChileUniversidad Nacional de Huancavelica, Huancavelica, Peru5Departamento de Ciencias de la Actividad Física, Universidad de Los Lagos, Puerto Montt, Chile6Laboratorio de Neurociencias y Psicología Experimental, Área de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, ArgentinaIntroductionThe prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) has increased rapidly, highlighting the importance of its detection using quick tools applicable to men and women from different countries.ObjectiveTo analyze the psychometric properties of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Test (GAD-7) by gender and country in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).MethodA cross-sectional e-health study with 12,124 participants from 15 LAC countries (54.32% women, 45.68% men) was conducted, including participants from Argentina (7.3%), Bolivia (6.7%), Colombia (10.3%), Chile (6.9%), Costa Rica (4.9%), El Salvador (5.7%), Ecuador (7.2%), Guatemala (4.7%), Panama (5.1%), Paraguay (5.7%), Peru (8.6%), Puerto Rico (5.8%), the Dominican Republic (6.6%), Uruguay (6.3%), and Venezuela (8.2%). All participants completed the GAD-7 scale digitally.ResultsA unidimensional structure of the GAD-7 was confirmed, explaining 70% of the variance. The model fit indices were adequate (RMSEA = 0.062; CFI = 0.997; TLI = 0.995; SRMR = 0.017; p < 0.001), and the factor loadings for each item were satisfactory (> 0.70). Additionally, the factor structure showed measurement invariance between genders and countries, with adequate fit indices at all levels (configural, metric, scalar, and strict), suggesting that the measurements are equivalent in both contexts. Finally, the internal consistency of the GAD-7 was high, with a McDonald’s Omega coefficient of 0.91.ConclusionsThe GAD-7 exhibits a factor structure that is equivalent across genders and countries, demonstrating its validity and reliability for the rapid detection of GAD symptoms in different countries within the region.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1529424/fullgeneralized anxiety disorderpsychometric indicatorsinvariancetestLatin American population |
| spellingShingle | Norman López Norman López Juan-Carlos Coronado Daniela Ripoll-Córdoba Nicole Caldichoury César Quispe-Ayala Breiner Morales-Asencio Raúl Quincho-Apumayta Cesar Castellanos Juan Martínez Juan Cárdenas-Valverde Luis Mario Castellanos-Alvarenga David Salazar Irina Flores-Poma Jorge Herrera-Pino Wendy Bada Yuliana Flórez Karen Alcos-Flores Boris Zurita-Cueva Elsa Muñoz Romero Cristian Romo Regulo Antezana Claudio Avila Saldaña Pascual A. Gargiulo Factorial invariance of the generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) in Latin America and the Caribbean Frontiers in Psychiatry generalized anxiety disorder psychometric indicators invariance test Latin American population |
| title | Factorial invariance of the generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) in Latin America and the Caribbean |
| title_full | Factorial invariance of the generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) in Latin America and the Caribbean |
| title_fullStr | Factorial invariance of the generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) in Latin America and the Caribbean |
| title_full_unstemmed | Factorial invariance of the generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) in Latin America and the Caribbean |
| title_short | Factorial invariance of the generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) in Latin America and the Caribbean |
| title_sort | factorial invariance of the generalized anxiety disorder scale gad 7 in latin america and the caribbean |
| topic | generalized anxiety disorder psychometric indicators invariance test Latin American population |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1529424/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT normanlopez factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT normanlopez factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT juancarloscoronado factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT danielaripollcordoba factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT nicolecaldichoury factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT cesarquispeayala factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT breinermoralesasencio factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT raulquinchoapumayta factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT cesarcastellanos factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT juanmartinez factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT juancardenasvalverde factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT luismariocastellanosalvarenga factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT davidsalazar factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT irinaflorespoma factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT jorgeherrerapino factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT wendybada factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT yulianaflorez factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT karenalcosflores factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT boriszuritacueva factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT elsamunozromero factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT cristianromo factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT reguloantezana factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT claudioavilasaldana factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean AT pascualagargiulo factorialinvarianceofthegeneralizedanxietydisorderscalegad7inlatinamericaandthecaribbean |