Anxiety Assessment: Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Burns Anxiety Inventory

The main purpose of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Burns Anxiety Inventory (Burns-A: Burns, 1993). The sample consisted of 417 participants, 387 (29.71% male) healthy participants (control group: M = 35.5 years; SD = 8.40) and 30 (36.66% female) patients (clinical group: M = 35.8 years; SD = 12.94). The internal consistency evaluated through Cronbach' Alpha was 0.95 for the Total Score in both subsamples. The test-retest reliability (two weeks) for Total Score was 0.86 (F = 13.2, p = .001) for the non-clinical subsample, and 0.95 (F = 36.5, p = .001) for the clinical subsample. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the initial three-factor model. However, modifications to the initial three-factor model improved the goodness-of-fit indices. Results showed statistically significant differences in the mean scores of the Burns-A between the clinical and control groups. This study supports the Spanish version of the Burns-A as a brief and useful tool for the screening of anxiety symptoms in adult populations. Future studies should investigate measurement invariance across cultures.