The Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS) is a complimentary and easily printable self-report questionnaire comprising 30 items, specifically created to evaluate anxiety symptoms in older individuals. Designed by clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel L. Segal, this tool serves as a dependable and user-friendly method for recognising anxiety across cognitive, emotional, and physical domains.
Appropriate for various environments such as clinical practices, care homes, community services, and mental health evaluations for those aged 60 and above, the GAS aids in assessing how often respondents experience anxiety-related thoughts, feelings, and bodily symptoms over the past week. Participants respond using a 4-point scale (0 = Not at all to 3 = All of the time).
Key features include:
- 25 scored items that assess the severity of anxiety
- Subscale areas: Cognitive (e.g. worrying, intrusive thoughts), Affective (e.g. fear, social anxiety), and Somatic (e.g. sleep disturbances, physical tension)
- 5 additional unscored items concerning health, finances, and the anxiety of being a burden
- Clear scoring guidelines with cut-off points indicating minimal, mild, moderate, and severe anxiety
This scale has been validated for use with older adults, including those in assisted living or receiving medical care. It is ideal for:
- General practitioners, psychologists, therapists, and mental health professionals
- Aged care providers, care home staff, and geriatric services
- Community mental health teams and social workers
- Older adults and family caregivers seeking to monitor anxiety symptoms
By including the GAS in comprehensive geriatric assessments and well-being checks, it can facilitate early detection and ongoing monitoring of anxiety in elderly populations, thereby improving access to psychological support and treatment. The GAS is widely regarded as a trusted, research-informed resource within healthcare and social care settings.
