Abstract

The Worry and Anxiety Questionnaire (WAQ) is an 11-item self-report screening questionnaire developed to measure the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The purpose of this research was to revise the WAQ and conduct a preliminary investigation of the psychometric properties of the modified questionnaire in an English-speaking, non-clinical sample. The modification process included adding a definition for worry, simplifying the Likert scale qualifiers and consulting with experts in the field of anxiety disorders. There was evidence of sensitivity, specificity as well as convergent and discriminant validity; scores on the WAQ-II were more strongly associated with scores on a measure of worry than with scores on measures of other anxiety disorders, depression and hypochondriasis. In addition, there was evidence of test-retest reliability over a three-week period. The WAQ-II's usefulness in research and clinical practice is discussed.