The Psychometric Properties of the GAD-7 to Assess Generalized Anxiety in Black American University Students

The development of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale aligns with the symptoms outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4 th edition, and other anxiety scales. Although studies exist that have assessed the psychometric properties of the GAD-7, only a few studies have examined the GAD-7 with a small sample of Black Americans. In the current study, we used a sample of 857 Black American university students to assess the reliability and validity evidence for GAD-7. Validity evidence included those based on internal factor structure and measurement invariance between gender groups. Results from confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the internal structure that other researchers had observed: the GAD-7 is a unidimensional measure of generalized anxiety. Results also supported measurement invariance between genders. Internal consistency was acceptable. Findings suggested the GAD-7 is a reliable instrument with validity evidence for use among Black American university students in Southern California.