The Beck Anxiety Inventory
(BAI)
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A. Description
The latest revision of the Beck Anxiety
Inventory (BAI) was developed in 1993 by Aaron T. Beck and Robert A.
Steer. It is published by the
Psychological Corporation and it can be obtained by Harcourt Assessment,
Inc. The purpose of BAI is to measure
anxiety in adults and adolescents and it was specifically designed to reduce
the overlap between depression and anxiety scales by measuring anxiety symptoms
shared minimally with those of depression (US Dep. Of Health & Human
Services, 2012).
BAI is available in the following forms:
Complete kit with Manual, English and Spanish Record Forms and Scannable Record
Forms (NCTSN, 2012). Besides, the
English and Spanish versions, BAI as been translated to the following version:
Arabic; Chinese; Farsi; Finnish; French; German; Korean; Norwegian; Portuguese;
Swedish; and Turkish (NCTSN, 2012). The
theoretical basis of the instrument is to clinically diagnose anxiety based on
DSM III-R and it emphasizes panic attacks and generalized anxiety (US Dep. Of Health & Human
Services, 2012).
BAI is used for ages over 17, tested on participants
of ages 17-80 (US Dep. Of Health & Human Services, 2012). However, BAI has been used, peer-reviewed and
validated for ages 12-80 and therefore can be used for younger adolescents
(NCTSN, 2012). The three norm or
representative samples of psychiatric outpatients had the total size of
1,086. Norm sample characteristics
include that BAI is not nationally representative and it is normed within the
last 15 years. BAI has four dimensions
using the 4-point Likert Scale (NCTSN, 2012).
The dimensions are: “Not at all” (0 points); “Mildly; it did not bother
me much” (1); “Moderately; it was very unpleasant, but I could stand it” (2);
and “Severely; I could barely stand it” (3) (US Dep. Of Health & Human
Services, 2012). There are no subtests
and the items are 21. Each item matches
a symptom of anxiety and its severity is answered using the 4-point Likert
scale (US Dep. Of Health & Human Services, 2012).
B. Psychometrics
In terms of reliability, Internal
consistency using Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .92 to .94 for adults. The
alphas for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third
Edition—Revised (DSM-III-R) anxiety disorder groups ranged from .85 to .93. (US
Dep. Of Health & Human Services, 2012).
Test-retest reliability for 1-week interval was r= .75. It is reported
that elibility of the BAI for adolescents has not been directly tested (US Dep.
Of Health & Human Services, 2012).
In terms of validity, the correlation with
the anxiety subscale of the Cognition Check List, which measures the frequency
of dysfunctional cognitions related to anxiety, was r=.51 (US Dep. Of Health & Human Services, 2012). Construct
validity studies have shown that BAI is appropriate for adolescents (NCTSN,
2012). Concurrent validity using the correlation
with the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale—Revised was .51. The BAI is also
significantly correlated with the Trait (.58) and State (.47) subscales of the
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y) and with the mean 7-day anxiety rating
(.54) of the Weekly Record of Anxiety and Depression. Validity of the BAI for
adolescents has not been directly tested (US Dep. Of Health & Human
Services, 2012).
C.
Administration, Special
Populations/Diversity, Scoring, and Interpretation
BAI is self-administered and the
instructions before the test are oral (US Dep. Of Health & Human Services,
2012 – NCTSN, 2012). In terms of user’s
qualifications, there is no education level requirement and the test is
paper-pencil (NCTSN, 2012). The BAI may
be administered and scored by paraprofessionals. However, it should be used and interpreted
only by professionals with appropriate clinical training and experience(US Dep.
Of Health & Human Services, 2012).
There is not much information reported in terms of gender, race, culture,
and ethnicity (US Dep. Of Health & Human Services, 2012 – NCTSN,
2012). For people with disabilities,
there are accommodations to be taken upon request. For example, if an examinee needs help to
complete the inventory, instructions are given in the manual for how to
administer the inventory orally (US Dep. Of Health & Human Services, 2012). The test-taking time is 10 minutes and the
scoring time is 5 minutes. The test can
be scored by someone with basic clerical skills. For computer scoring and interpretation of
the BAI there is the Beck Computer Scoring (BCS) program (US Dep. Of Health
& Human Services, 2012).
In terms of interpretation of scores, according
to the 1993 Revisions of the BAI manual, total scores of 0 to 7 reflect
“Minimal level of anxiety”; scores of 8 to 15 indicate “Mild anxiety”; scores
of 16 to 25 reflect “Moderate anxiety”; and scores of 26 to 63 indicate “Severe
anxiety.” The clinician interpreting the
score should consider other aspects of the individual’s psychological
functioning, because a BAI total score yields only an estimate of the overall
severity of anxiety being described by a person, the clinician interpreting the
score should consider other aspects of the individual’s psychological
functioning (US Dep. Of Health & Human Services, 2012).
In terms of cost, in June 2005 it was
reported that complete kit with manual and 25 Record Forms is $752. BAI Manual
is $403. Record Forms (pkg/100) are $150 (Pricing is based on purchase of this
item.). Spanish Record Forms (pkg/100)
is $1505. Scannable Record Forms (pkg/100) are $150 (NCTSN, 2012).
D. Critique:
The US Department of Health & Human Services
According to the review of the US
Department of Health & Human Services (2012), norms are scored 2 and ease of
administration is also scored 2, which are quite mediocre scores, if not
low. Initial Material Cost is scored
by the same reviewer as 1 (> $100) while reliability is 3 (.65 or higher)
and validity is 3 (.5 or higher for concurrent) (US Dep. Of Health & Human
Services, 2012).
Reference
Article-Online-Directory,
(2012). Take The Beck Anxiety Inventory -
Discover If You Have Anxiety Today.
The
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), (2012).
US
Department of Health & Human Services, (2012). Beck
Anxiety Inventory (BAI), 1993.
