Assessment of beliefs about psychotropic medication and psychotherapy: development of a measure for patients with anxiety disorders

Abstract

Objective: This study presents the psychometric properties of a brief measure to assess beliefs about psychotropic medications and psychotherapy among patients with anxiety disorders.

Method: Data were collected on a large sample of primary care patients with a range of anxiety disorders, as part of the Collaborative Care for Anxiety and Panic study. Factor analyses using principal axis factoring with Varimax rotations were used to determine the factor structure of the beliefs scale. Internal consistency, concurrent validity and predictive validity of the resulting subscales were examined.

Results: Two subscales emerged, one reflecting beliefs about psychotropic medications and the other assessing beliefs about psychotherapy. Both showed strong internal consistency and concurrent validity. The beliefs about psychotropic medication demonstrated strong predictive validity.

Conclusions: This measure may be a useful tool for assessing treatment beliefs among patients with anxiety disorders toward the provision of more quality treatment for this population. Its brevity may make it particularly useful in primary health care settings.