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Clinical Trial
. 1988 Jan-Feb;14(1):61-8.
doi: 10.1016/0165-0327(88)90072-9.

The Hamilton Anxiety Scale: reliability, validity and sensitivity to change in anxiety and depressive disorders

W Maier  1 , R Buller, M Philipp, I Heuser
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

The Hamilton Anxiety Scale: reliability, validity and sensitivity to change in anxiety and depressive disorders

W Maier et al. J Affect Disord. 1988 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) was tested for reliability and validity in two different samples, one sample (n = 97) defined by anxiety disorders, the other sample (n = 101) defined by depressive disorders. The reliability and the concurrent validity of the HAM-A and its subscales proved to be sufficient. Internal validity tested by latent structure analysis was insufficient. The major problems with the HAM-A are that (1) anxiolytic and antidepressant effects cannot be clearly distinguished; (2) the subscale of somatic anxiety is strongly related to somatic side effects. The applicability of the HAM-A in anxiolytic treatment studies is therefore limited. More specific anxiety scales are needed.

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