Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7): Validation of an Illustrated Version in a Sample of Peruvian Children

This study investigates the validity of an illustrated version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) for children in Peru. The sample included 584 participants aged between 8 and 12 years (M = 10.34, SD = 1.26). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) techniques and reliability measures were applied, revealing a strong one-dimensional structure with correlated errors in the GAD1 and GAD2 items. Internal consistency was high (ω > .80). An innovative resampling approach was used to verify the robustness of the results, finding stability in the one thousand replications performed. In addition, the relationship of the illustrated GAD-7 with parental separation anxiety was examined, showing moderate differences in scores and invariance according to sex and age. The study highlights the need for an anxiety test in children, given its potential persistence into adulthood. The results support the validity and reliability of the illustrated GAD-7, making it a useful tool for professionals and for addressing anxiety in school settings, especially post-pandemic. However, the study acknowledges limitations in its sampling and suggests future research to examine the relationship of the illustrated GAD-7 with other variables such as depression and self-esteem.