Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland (Faculty of Management and Economics, Department of Management).
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland (Faculty of Psychology, Department of Health Psychology).
Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023 Nov 13;36(4):493-504. doi: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.02104. Epub 2023 Sep 22.
The COVID-19 outbreak is an example of a crisis that triggered an increase in generalized anxiety disorder. The study aims to validate the Polish version of the 7-item scale (GAD-7) by Spitzer et al. among a non-clinical sample of employees and examine the invariance depending on the gender and age of working adults.
For assessing factor structure of the Polish version of the GAD-7, the data were collected from a sample of 821 adults employed in 4 economic sectors (health care, education, IT, public administration) during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland (April 10-May 24, 2020). Due to differences in the severity of GAD symptoms across gender and age groups, the measurement invariance in these groups was tested.
The results of a series of confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the unidimensionality of the GAD-7. The values of the composite reliability index and Cronbach's α showed that it is a reliable tool. The GAD levels demonstrated strong relationships with professional burnout, psychological distress, and psychological complaints. These relationships were stronger than the relationships between these factors and job satisfaction. Construct, metric and scalar invariance across gender and age groups were documented. Women experienced more severe symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder than men. Generalized anxiety disorder affected 28% of respondents.
This study contributes evidence of the validation of the GAD among employees and also confirms the invariance depending on gender and age. The Polish version of the GAD-7 has good psychometric properties in a group of professionals and can be recommended for research and to be used in an occupational medicine practice, especially during crisis periods associated with the risk of developing a generalized anxiety disorder. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(4):493-504.
新冠疫情是一个引发广泛性焦虑障碍普遍增加的危机事件。本研究旨在验证 Spitzer 等人开发的 7 项广泛性焦虑障碍量表（GAD-7）的波兰文版本在非临床员工样本中的有效性，并检验其在性别和年龄方面的不变性。
为了评估 GAD-7 波兰文版本的因子结构，我们在新冠疫情初始阶段（2020 年 4 月 10 日至 5 月 24 日）从波兰四个经济领域（医疗保健、教育、信息技术、公共行政）的 821 名成年员工中收集数据。由于性别和年龄组的广泛性焦虑障碍症状严重程度存在差异，我们对这些组别的测量不变性进行了测试。
一系列验证性因子分析的结果证实了 GAD-7 的单维度性。综合可靠性指数和 Cronbach's α 值表明该量表具有可靠性。GAD 水平与职业倦怠、心理困扰和心理投诉之间存在强烈关系，这些关系比这些因素与工作满意度之间的关系更强。证明了性别和年龄组之间的结构、度量和标度不变性。女性经历的广泛性焦虑障碍症状比男性更严重。有 28%的受访者患有广泛性焦虑障碍。
本研究为员工中 GAD 的验证提供了证据，也证实了性别和年龄的不变性。GAD-7 的波兰文版本在专业人员群体中具有良好的心理测量学特性，可推荐用于研究和职业医学实践，特别是在与发展广泛性焦虑障碍风险相关的危机时期。国际职业医学与环境卫生杂志。2023；36（4）：493-504。
