Examining the classification accuracy of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 against the QuickSCID-5 in Canadian undergraduates: Improving post-secondary student mental health screening.
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| Title: | Examining the classification accuracy of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 against the QuickSCID-5 in Canadian undergraduates: Improving post-secondary student mental health screening. |
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| Authors: | Hews-Girard, Julia C. (NURSE), Dimitropoulos, Gina (AUTHOR), Patten, Scott (AUTHOR), Velmovitsky, Pedro E. (AUTHOR), Keown-Stoneman, Charles D. G. (AUTHOR), King, Nathan (AUTHOR), Qiao, Thomas (AUTHOR), Furlani, Noah (AUTHOR), Thannhauser, Jennifer (AUTHOR), Szeto, Andrew C. H. (AUTHOR), Duffy, Anne (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of American College Health. Jul2026, Vol. 74 Issue 6, p1669-1680. 12p. |
| Subjects: | Psychiatric diagnosis, Predictive tests, Cross-sectional method, Research funding, Receiver operating characteristic curves, Data analysis, Research evaluation, Questionnaires, Undergraduates, Mental illness, Logistic regression analysis, Severity of illness index, Descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U Test, Chi-squared test, Anxiety, Psychometrics, Statistics, Psychological stress, Medical screening, Factor analysis, Data analysis software, Sensitivity & specificity (Statistics), Mental depression, Generalized anxiety disorder |
| Geographic Terms: | Canada |
| Abstract: | Background: The classification accuracy of the General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in post-secondary students remains uncertain. Methods: Undergraduate students completed a survey (n = 159) and QuickSCID-5 (n = 130). Sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristics were calculated, and alternative scoring strategies were explored. Results: Most students identified as first-year, Canadian, and female. Among survey respondents, 42% (GAD-7) and 35% (PHQ-9) scored >10. Most students with high stress and GAD-7 scores did not meet the criteria for GAD. At a screening cut-off of >10, sensitivity and specificity were: 80.6/72.3% (GAD-7) and 92.9/72.4% (PHQ-9), respectively. Preliminary evidence supported moderate classification accuracy of GAD-7 (AUC = 0.78) for detecting GAD, but poor accuracy for detecting other disorders. PHQ-9 showed high classification accuracy (AUC = 0.92) for depression; preliminary evidence supported improved accuracy with alternative scoring. Conclusions: While PHQ-9 appears to be a useful screening measure, findings suggest the GAD-7 may capture stress rather than clinical anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Background: The classification accuracy of the General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in post-secondary students remains uncertain. Methods: Undergraduate students completed a survey (n = 159) and QuickSCID-5 (n = 130). Sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristics were calculated, and alternative scoring strategies were explored. Results: Most students identified as first-year, Canadian, and female. Among survey respondents, 42% (GAD-7) and 35% (PHQ-9) scored >10. Most students with high stress and GAD-7 scores did not meet the criteria for GAD. At a screening cut-off of >10, sensitivity and specificity were: 80.6/72.3% (GAD-7) and 92.9/72.4% (PHQ-9), respectively. Preliminary evidence supported moderate classification accuracy of GAD-7 (AUC = 0.78) for detecting GAD, but poor accuracy for detecting other disorders. PHQ-9 showed high classification accuracy (AUC = 0.92) for depression; preliminary evidence supported improved accuracy with alternative scoring. Conclusions: While PHQ-9 appears to be a useful screening measure, findings suggest the GAD-7 may capture stress rather than clinical anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 07448481 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/07448481.2025.2596075 |
