Una medida breve de la ansiedad hospitalaria: diseño y análisis psicométrico preliminar de una escala

Objective: Objective: To establish a preliminary psychometric analysis of a brief hospital anxiety scale. Method: Non-experimental study of instrumental design, with a unit of analysis of 60 participants, who were nurses and physicians from a hospital in Metropolitan Lima. Main results: The final version was reduced to 9 items, obtaining adequate evidence of content validity by the criterion of expert judges (V > .80). The evidence of construct validity showed a unidimensional model that explains 72.5% of the variance, with factor loadings greater than .30 (.773 to .939). The reliability found was for internal consistency with acceptable values (α=.958; ω=.959; θ=.957). General conclusion: The EAH-9 constitutes a preliminary alternative with evidence of validity and reliability for the analysis of anxiety in hospital professionals.Objetivo: Establecer un análisis psicométrico preliminar de una escala breve de ansiedad hospitalaria. Método: Estudio no experimental de diseño instrumental, con una unidad de análisis de 60 participantes, quienes eran enfermeros y médicos de un hospital de Lima Metropolitana. Resultados principales: Se reduciría la versión final a 9 reactivos, obteniendo adecuadas evidencias en validez de contenido por el criterio de jueces expertos (V > .80). La evidencia de validez de constructo demostró un modelo unidimensional que explica el 72.5% de la varianza, con cargas factoriales mayores al .30 (.773 a .939). La confiabilidad hallada fue por consistencia interna con valores aceptables (α=.958; ω=.959; θ=.957). Conclusión general: el EAH-9 constituye una alternativa preliminar con evidencias de validez y fiabilidad para el análisis de la ansiedad en profesionales hospitalarios

Network analysis of anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in older adults in the United Kingdom

Abstract The health crisis caused by COVID-19 in the United Kingdom and the confinement measures that were subsequently implemented had unprecedented effects on the mental health of older adults, leading to the emergence and exacerbation of different comorbid symptoms including depression and anxiety. This study examined and compared depression and anxiety symptom networks in two specific quarantine periods (June–July and November–December) in the older adult population in the United Kingdom. We used the database of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging COVID-19 Substudy, consisting of 5797 participants in the first stage (54% women) and 6512 participants in the second stage (56% women), all over 50 years of age. The symptoms with the highest centrality in both times were: “Nervousness (A1)” and “Inability to relax (A4)” in expected influence and predictability, and “depressed mood (D1”; bridging expected influence). The latter measure along with "Irritability (A6)" overlapped in both depression and anxiety clusters in both networks. In addition, a the cross-lagged panel network model was examined in which a more significant influence on the direction of the symptom "Nervousness (A1)" by the depressive symptoms of "Anhedonia (D6)", "Hopelessness (D7)", and "Sleep problems (D3)" was observed; the latter measure has the highest predictive capability of the network. The results report which symptoms had a higher degree of centrality and transdiagnostic overlap in the cross-sectional networks (invariants) and the cross-lagged panel network model of anxious and depressive symptomatology