Psychometric validation of the Arabic version of the GAD-7 among Lebanese adolescents
Introduction Anxiety is one of the major global mental health concerns, particularly amidst accumulating adversities. It is the leading cause of distress in adolescents worldwide and has a profound deleterious impact on their mental and physical health and wellbeing. This paper seeks to identify and...
| Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia |
| Repository: | e-spacio. Repositorio Institucional de la UNED |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:e-spacio.uned.es:20.500.14468/31556 |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14468/31556 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | 61 Psicología 6111 Personalidad |
| Summary: | Introduction Anxiety is one of the major global mental health concerns, particularly amidst accumulating adversities. It is the leading cause of distress in adolescents worldwide and has a profound deleterious impact on their mental and physical health and wellbeing. This paper seeks to identify and validate the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the GAD-7 in Lebanon, aiming to improve the much-needed overall mental health screening in Middle Eastern countries. Methods This study includes a cross-sectional design including 638 adolescents in Lebanese public schools. Participants aged 15−18 years were assessed using GAD-7 (anxiety), PCL-5 (post-traumatic stress disorder), and PTGi (post-traumatic growth) in their Arabic versions at two-time points, spaced three months apart. Results Our analyses revealed that the 7 items of the GAD-7 converged into a single factor. Composite reliability of scores was adequate in the total sample (ω = .88/ α = .87). The convergent validity for this model was satisfactory. Results showed invariance across gender at the configural, metric, and scalar levels, with males showing a higher level of wellbeing compared to females. The pre-posttest assessment for the GAD-7 scale was conducted on 359 participants; the intraclass correlation coefficient was adequate 0.83 [95% CI.79;.86]. Our analyses also show that anxiety symptoms were significantly correlated with higher PTSD (r = 0.68; p < .001) and lower PTG (r = −.12; p = .004). Conclusion The Arabic GAD-7 among Lebanese adolescents displayed highly satisfactory psychometric properties, underscoring its validity. This scale could be valuable for educators and clinicians as a screening tool to rapidly detect anxiety among this vulnerable age group as GAD-7 is easy-to-use, easy to understand, culturally sensitive for Arab population and age appropriate for 15–18-year-old students. |
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