Development and Validation of the Anxiety Gauge Test (ANX-G5)

Abstract

This study aimed to develop the Anxiety Gauge Test (ANX-G5), a multidimensional self-report measure assessing individuals’ anxiety experiences and response patterns following the onset of anxiety, and to examine its psychometric properties. The ANX-G5 consists of the Anxiety Factor Scale (ANX-F), which assesses symptom domains of anxiety, and the Anxiety Response Scale (ANX-R), which assesses the evaluation, regulation, and coping responses to anxiety. Data from 437 adults were randomly divided for exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. In addition, data from 298 participants who completed the Anxiety Dot-Probe Task (ADPT) were used to exploratorily examine associations with mean reaction time, congruent and incongruent trial reaction times, attentional bias scores, and the numbers of correct, incorrect, and omitted responses. The ANX-F showed a four-factor structure consisting of trait anxiety, state anxiety, panic symptoms, and somatic anxiety, whereas the ANX-R showed a three-factor structure consisting of difficulty controlling anxiety, repetitive thinking, and anxiety avoidance. All subscales demonstrated satisfactory factor loadings and high internal consistency. Significant positive correlations with the STAI-5, K-PDSS, PSWQ-3, and IUS-4 supported the convergent and concurrent validity of the ANX-G5. However, discriminant validity was limited between trait and state anxiety, between state and somatic anxiety, and among the ANX-R subscales, suggesting that these dimensions are closely associated with a shared vulnerability to anxiety. Most subscales, except panic symptoms, were negatively correlated with reaction time indices but were not significantly associated with attentional bias or accuracy indices. These findings suggest that the ANX-G5 may be related more to overall response speed in task contexts involving threat cues than to traditional attentional bias indices. Overall, the ANX-G5 provides a multidimensional assessment of both anxiety symptom domains and response patterns.