02218nas a2200265   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260003500043653001200078653003300090653002500123653001600148653001100164100002900175700003200204700003900236700003700275245010000312856006700412300001200479490000700491520142700498022001301925020001401938       2020                            d  c12/2020bElsevier Espana S.L.U10aAnxiety10aConfirmatory Factor Analysis10aInternal consistency10aReliability10aStress1 aFerran Padrós Blázquez1 aKarina Salud Montoya Pérez1 aMarcelo Archibaldo Bravo Calderón1 aMaría Patricia Martínez Medina00aPsychometric properties of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) in the general population of Mexico  uhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S113479372030035X  a181-1870 v263 aIntroduction and objectives
One of the most widely used scales to assess anxiety is the BAI (Beck Anxiety Inventory) that has shown adequate psychometric properties; however, there is no consensus on its internal structure. This work aimed to study the internal structure of the BAI using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (AFC) for the first time in Mexico, as well as the goodness of the items that make it up and its internal consistency. In addition, descriptive data of anxiety levels in the general population of Michoacán (Mexico) are presented.

Material and methods
The BAI was administered and the sociodemographic data (sex, age, marital status, and education) were requested from 1,245 adults. First, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was carried out with half the sample. Using the second half of the sample, the factorial models obtained in previous Mexican studies, the single factor solution and the model obtained in the AFE were tested through a CFA.

Results
A high internal consistency of the total scale was observed (α = .911); however, no model of those tested in the CFA was satisfactory.

Conclusions
It can be concluded that the BAI, despite showing an unstable internal structure, can adequately assess the presence of anxiety symptoms in the general population of Michoacán (Mexico). It is important to note that up to 24.9% of the sample presented moderate or severe anxiety levels.  a11347937  a2174-0437