Psychometric evaluation of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) among female cardiac patients

Objectives. To examine the dimensionality, structure, and reliability of th e FLADS among female cardiac patients. Design. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaires at two time s-admission to hospital and at 2-month follow-up, Method. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the dimensionality and structure of the HADS. Internal consistency was assessed by computing Cronbach alpha. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calcul ated to assess test-retest reliability. Results. A two-factor model, in which the subscales were permitted to corre late, was found to provide a good fit to the scale's 14 items compared to s ingle factor and orthogonal two-factor models. These two factors explained 41.4% of the total variance. The anxiety and depression subscales were mode rately correlated (r = .60), with good internal consistency and test-retest reliability found for the subscales and total HADS scores. Conclusions. These results provide support for the HADS as a reliable measu re for the assessment of anxiety and depression symptomatology among female cardiac patients.