Citation: Chaw YF, Oei TPS and Lai WW. Psychometric Properties of the Anxiety Attitude and Belief Scale in an Asian Community Group. Austin J Psychiatry Behav Sci. 2014;1(4): 1020. Austin J Psychiatry Behav Sci - Volume 1 Issue 4 - 2014 ISSN : 2381-9006 | www.austinpublishinggroup.com Oei et al. © All rights are reserved Austin Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science Open Access Full Text Article to populations beyond that of the original research. Replication in support of fndings from Brown et al. would strengthen confdence in the use of AABS in further research. Previous studies have noted higher pessimism in Asians residing in western countries, which relate positively with self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms [5]. Studies have also noted higher self-reported mean scores on anxiety and depression measures, lower levels of global happiness and life satisfaction, and less frequencies of positive afect among East Asian than North American populations [6,7]. Some cross-cultural and social psychological theories have been proposed to explain these fndings. For instance, the Japanese have been suggested to experience lower positive self-regard than western populations, possibly from the practice of self-criticism and perfectionism [6,8]. Considering these cross-cultural diferences, the signifcance of identifying anxiety-related attitudes/beliefs as previously discussed, and also the importance of measurement equivalence in assessing psychological constructs across cultures, is critical [7]. Possibly, processes of change in the development and maintenance of anxiety symptoms that are unique to the Asian setting could be highlighted [7]. Based on the National Mental Health Survey of Adults in Singapore [9], prevalence rates of anxiety disorders in Singapore are higher than that of other Asian countries like China (1.2%) and Japan (1.2%) [10]. Considering this, as well as a potential risk for anxiety among Asian populations as highlighted above, the development of a reliable and valid instrument for assessing anxiety-related beliefs/ attitudes in an Asian-dominated population such as Singapore is useful and necessary [6,7]. Identifying a pattern of anxiety-related beliefs/attitudes in a sample of Singaporeans may reveal important Research Article Psychometric Properties of the Anxiety Attitude and Belief Scale in an Asian Community Group Introduction Psychometric Properties of the Anxiety Attitude and Belief Scale (AABS) in an Asian Sample. Te role of cognition is underscored in the development and maintenance of anxiety problems, specifcally pertaining to the chronic over-activity of schemas involving beliefs organized around themes of danger, harm to self, and personal vulnerability or inability to cope [1,2]. Despite playing a central role in cognitive theories of anxiety, anxiety-related beliefs/attitudes have remained less researched relative to alternative cognitive models of anxiety such asanxiety-related transitory situational automatic thoughts (e.g., Cognition Checklist, Scale A) and Agoraphobic Cognitions [3]. Also, few measures are available to assess enduring beliefs/attitudes that predispose individuals to anxiety reactions and symptoms [4]. Pinpointing predisposing anxious attitudes/beliefs may contribute towards current understanding of processes leading up to overt manifestations of anxiety symptoms [4]. In view of the above, Brown et al. [4] argued that a gross assessment of conscious verbal productions may overlook the contributions of anxiety-related cognitions in an individual’s presentation of anxiety symptoms such as fear and worry. Terefore, using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Brown and colleagues [4] developed the Anxiety Attitude and Belief Scale (AABS; with its 3 subscales: Catastrophising, Vigilance/Avoidance, and Reasonable Anxiety-Related Beliefs) to assess enduring attitudes/beliefs that potentially predisposes one to anxiety symptoms. Good psychometric properties and adequate reliability were demonstrated for the AABS [4].Te psychometric properties of the AABS have yet to be replicated by other independent researchers or validated with other cultural populations. It is necessary to generalize the study fndings Chaw YF 1 , Oei TPS 1,2 * and Lai WW 2 1 School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Arts, Education and Social Sciences, James Cook University, Singapore *Corresponding author: Oei TPS, School of Psychology (room 104), The University of Queensland, 4072; Qld, Australia, Tel: 7-3365-6230; Fax: 07- 3365 4466; Email: oei@psy.uq.edu.au Received: May 08, 2014; Accepted: May 27, 2014; Published: May 29, 2014 Abstract Background: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Anxiety Attitude and Belief Scale (AABS), a measure of attitudes and beliefs intended to index a psychological vulnerability to anxiety problems, in an Asian context. Methods: Exploratory factor analysis was performed on sample of 434 community participants from Singapore, who were predominantly ethnic Chinese. Results: A revised factor structure of the scale (AABS-A) comprising of three factors, namely Catastrophising, Vigilance/Avoidance, and Reasonable Anxiety-Related Beliefs, was found. Internal consistency was satisfactory for the total scale and the three factor scales derived. Concurrent and discriminate validity of the AABS-A were also good. Conclusion: Study results suggest that the AABS-A is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing anxiety-related attitudes and beliefs in Asian, in particular Singaporean, community samples. Keywords: Anxiety; Attitude; Belief; Reliability; Validity; Asia Austin Publishing Group A brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by University of Queensland eSpace