Abstract
Background: Very few studies about the psychometric properties of the Anxiety Severity Measures (ASM) proposed in the DSM-5 exist, and none in Spanish-speaking populations. Thus, the aim of the present study was to provide validity and reliability evidence for the Spanish versions of the Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, Panic, Generalized Anxiety and Specific Phobia Severity measures. Method: Participants included 567 Spaniards (mean age=21.26, SD=3.61; 68.3% women). We performed Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses to test the structure of the scales, Differential Item Functioning (DIF) by sex, Cronbach’s alpha and ordinal omega to test reliability, and the Pearson correlations between the ASM and different outcomes to provide evidence for convergent/discriminant (internalizing/externalizing symptoms) and criterion validity (satisfaction, quality of life and personality). Results: Structural analyses supported a one-factor solution for all of the ASM except for the Specific Phobia scale, which was also the only scale that exhibited DIF. Reliability indices ranked from .82 to .93. All six scales showed stronger associations with internalizing than externalizing measures and were also negatively related to criterion measures. Conclusions: The Spanish version of ASM is suitable for assessing anxiety-related symptoms, except the Specific Phobia Scale, which requires further examination.
