Dimensional indicators of generalized anxiety disorder severity for DSM-V

For DSM-V, simple dimensional measures of disorder severity will accompany diagnostic criteria. The current studies examine convergent validity and test-retest reliability of two potential dimensional indicators of worry severity for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): percent of the day worried and number of worry domains. In study 1, archival data from diagnostic interviews from a community sample of individuals diagnosed with one or more anxiety disorders (n = 233) were used to assess correlations between percent of the day worried and number of worry domains with other measures of worry severity (clinical severity rating (CSR), age of onset, number of comorbid disorders, Penn state worry questionnaire (PSWQ)) and DSM-IV criteria (excessiveness, uncontrollability and number of physical symptoms). Both measures were significantly correlated with CSR and number of comorbid disorders, and with all three DSM-IV criteria. In study 2, test-retest reliability of percent of the day worried and number of worry domains were compared to test-retest reliability of DSM-IV diagnostic criteria in a non-clinical sample of undergraduate students (n = 97) at a large west coast university. All measures had low test-retest reliability except percent of the day worried, which had moderate test-retest reliability. Findings suggest that these two indicators capture worry severity, and percent of the day worried may be the most reliable existing indicator. These measures may be useful as dimensional measures for DSM-V.