Physical symptoms associated with worry in a nonclinical population

This study examines physical symptoms related to worry in a nonclinical sample (N = 583). According to the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire, physical symptoms for DSM-III-R GAD criteria were frequently experienced by nonclinical subjects who met cognitive criteria for GAD. Factor analysis, item endorsement rates, and concurrent validity of individual items identified eight symptoms that were frequently endorsed, had good concurrent validity, and were factorially separate from a panic-like factor. Seven of these items are retained for DSM-IV. Furthermore, these items form a brief scale that does not overlap with other well-established scales for measuring anxious symptoms. The reliability and convergent/divergent validity of the scale were satisfactory. In conclusion, this study indicates that nonclinical populations experience physical symptoms that are similar to those associated with GAD and that DSM-IV retains items that are frequently endorsed, distinguish worriers from nonworriers, and are factorially separate from a panic-like factor.