Older adulthood. Short-term changes in anxiety, fatigue, and other psychological states

Efforts to assess the effects of a variety of stressors to which older adults are exposed will be no more successful than measuring instruments are valid and appropriately sensitive to change. Research springing from the trait-state distinction has led to some important clarifications regarding properties of measuring instruments, ways of conceptualizing among-persons variation, and the multidimensionality of individuals' response patterns. To examine the suitability of several extant state measures for use with the elderly, 111 older (age 60+) adults were measured, then remeasured two weeks later, with a battery covering five state dimensions. Data are analyzed to test their hypothesized factor structure of the measures and, from a construct validity perspective, to evaluate the short-term stability (test-retest coefficients) of both scales and underlying factors. Results support the factorial validity of instruments developed for the measurement of anxiety and fatigue states when used in older adult populations.