SIGH, What's in a Name? An Examination of the Factor Structure and Criterion Validity of the (Structured Interview Guide for the) Hamilton Anxiety Scale (SIGH-A) in a Sample of African American Adults With Co-Occurring Trauma Experience and Heavy Alcohol Use

The Hamilton Anxiety Inventory (HAM-A) is one of the oldest and most commonly used anxiety rating scales in clinical research. Despite its ubiquity, no studies have examined the scale's underlying factor structure and criterion validity among Black and African American adults with psychopathology (Mage = 42.25, SD = 11.44). Therefore, we estimated a confirmatory factor analysis of the commercially available Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Anxiety scale (SIGH-A; Williams, 1996) among African American adults (n = 88; 43% female) with co-occurring heavy alcohol use and trauma-related symptoms. Next, we examined the criterion validity of its Psychic and Somatic factors and overall anxiety severity score from participants who completed a single screening session (i.e., cross-sectional analysis) for a larger study. Results indicated that a two-factor solution provided an adequate fit to the data. Regression analyses indicated that the total SIGH-A score, but not its subscales, significantly predicted posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity. Neither the SIGH-A subscales nor total scores were significant predictors of alcohol consumption. The current findings suggest that the SIGH-A factor structure among African American adults with alcohol and trauma-related conditions is similar to previous reports that have tested largely White samples but highlight potential shortcomings when its subscales are used independently. Public Health Significance This study examines the psychometric properties of the widely used Hamilton Anxiety Scale, which has limited research examining its psychometric properties with diverse samples. These findings support a two-factor solution among Black and African American adults with histories of trauma and heavy alcohol consumption. Findings also suggest that overall anxiety severity levels, but not the Hamilton's anxiety subscales, are associated cross sectionally with posttraumatic stress symptoms but not alcohol consumption.