[Recommendations for the use of measuring instruments in clinical anxiety research]

The Arbeitskreis Angstforschung (AKA) brings together investigators active in the field of anxiety research and representatives of anxiety disorder outpatient clinics in German speaking countries. During its regular meetings, the decision was made to develop recommendations for the assessment of anxiety disorder patients in clinical studies. A task force of experts in pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments established a consensus of opinion to improve standardisation and comparability of studies originating from different centres. The AKA specifically recommends the following set of variables to be collected in all studies: (1) Demographic data: age, gender, marital status, education, employment, and living situation. (2) DIAGNOSIS: diagnoses should be obtained by clinically experienced personnel with special training in the particular assessment instruments. Structured interviews, according to the current versions of the DSM or ICD classifications are recommended. Published reliability and validity data should be available for the interviews. Examples of specific instruments meeting these criteria are given. (3) Symptoms and course: Data on the course of the disorder should cover onset, type of course, timing of episodes, currently active or in remission, as well as a complete treatment history. In addition, patient self-ratings and observer ratings should be obtained in order to allow comparisons across studies, assess the severity and measure treatment outcome. (4) Disability and restrictions in quality of life: these variables should be assessed by rating scales covering work, social and leisure activities, and family relationships. The AKA expects that these recommendations will be helpful to clinical anxiety researchers. Acceptance of common standards should improve the quality and comparability of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic studies in the complex field of anxiety disorders.