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The state-trait anxiety inventory, trait version: does it really measure anxiety?
Arturo Bados1, Juana Gómez-Benito, Gemma Balaguer
1Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, University of Barcelona, Spain. abados@ub.edu
Journal of Personality Assessment
|October 19, 2010
Summary
The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) trait version may not solely measure anxiety. It appears to capture broader negative affect, showing stronger links to depression than anxiety in validity studies.
Area of Science:
- Psychological Assessment
- Psychometrics
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is widely used to assess anxiety levels.
- Clarification is needed regarding the specific construct(s) measured by the STAI trait version.
- Previous research has not definitively established the convergent and discriminant validity of the STAI trait version.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the precise nature of what the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) trait version measures.
- To evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of the STAI trait version using confirmatory factor analysis.
- To investigate the relationship between STAI trait scores and measures of depression and anxiety.
Main Methods:
- Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to test various structural models of the STAI trait version.
- Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed by examining correlations between STAI scores and other psychological measures.
- Statistical models evaluated included a bifactor model and a one-construct, two-method model.
Main Results:
- Both a bifactor model (general factor + 2 specific factors) and a one-construct, two-method model provided the best fit to the data.
- The STAI trait total score and its subscales demonstrated stronger correlations with depression than with anxiety measures.
- In the bifactor model, a depression subscale correlated more highly with depression measures, while a hypothetical anxiety subscale showed equivalent or higher correlations with depression measures compared to anxiety measures.
Conclusions:
- The STAI trait version may not exclusively measure anxiety but rather a broader construct of negative affect.
- The findings suggest that the STAI trait version's scores are substantially influenced by depressive symptoms.
- Further research is warranted to refine anxiety assessment tools and understand the overlap between anxiety and depression constructs.
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