Gibbons, R.D., Weiss, D.J., Pilkonis, P.A., Frank, E., Moore, T., & Kim, J.B. (2014). Development of the CAT-ANX: A computerized adaptive test for anxiety. American Journal of Psychiatry. 171(2), 187-194. PMCID: PMC4052830.
In this article, the authors describe the development and psychometric testing of a computerized adaptive test for anxiety (CAT-ANX). Computerized adaptive tests are different than traditional diagnostic tests, because they use previous answers to select the best questions from a large bank of questions all designed to measure one construct. To measure anxiety, researchers developed a pool of 431 questions measuring anxiety symptoms. Questions were divided into four subdomains, or categories, of symptoms that comprise anxiety disorders. These subdomains included mood, cognition, behavior, and somatization symptoms. Adult participants with and without anxiety disorders completed the CAT-ANX. The CAT-ANX was accurately able to diagnosis anxiety disorder symptoms using only 12 questions. Participants completed the CAT-ANX in roughly 2.48 minutes. These results support the use of the CAT-ANX as an efficient way to screen adults for anxiety disorders.