Anxiety in university students: analysis of psychological measurement instruments. A systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17861941Keywords:
college students, psychometrics, mental healthAbstract
The objective of this study was to synthesize recent evidence (2020–2025) on the validity, reliability, factor structure, and invariance of brief instruments for measuring anxiety in the university population and to propose a minimum battery for screening and follow-up. A critical review was conducted with searches in Scopus, SciELO, and Google Scholar, peer screening and extraction, and full-text reading. Psychometric parameters (α/ω, AFC, multigroup invariance, AUC) and usage data in Latin America and Ecuador were collected. The GAD-7, abbreviated STAI, DASS-21, BAI, and OASIS were analyzed, along with complementary situational and transdiagnostic scales (e.g., FCV-19S, ESTAD). The findings converge on a robust unidimensional structure of the GAD-7, with high internal consistency (α/ω ≥ .80) and invariance by sex and age; the abbreviated STAI shows adequate reliability, maintaining the state/trait distinction; the DASS-21 retains its three-factor model and allows scores to be equated with the GAD-7; the BAI, despite its somatic bias, maintains acceptable reliability; and the OASIS provides a parsimonious estimate of severity and dysfunction. It is concluded that a staggered battery of GAD-7 + OASIS—or DASS-21 with conversion to GAD-7 for time series—optimizes the economy of application, accuracy, and cross-cultural comparability in university contexts.
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