The reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the GAD-7 and GAD-2 for the most prevalent anxiety disorders in Latvian primary care - Report - MDSpire

The reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the GAD-7 and GAD-2 for the most prevalent anxiety disorders in Latvian primary care

  • By

  • Lubova Renemane

  • Anda Ķīvīte-Urtāne

  • Elmārs Rancāns

  • July 7, 2026

  • 0 min

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Clinical Report: Assessing the Diagnostic Performance of GAD-7 and GAD-2

Overview

This study evaluates the reliability and diagnostic performance of the GAD-7 and GAD-2 scales for anxiety disorders in Latvian primary care.

Background

Anxiety disorders are prevalent in primary care, yet often remain under-recognized, leading to inadequate treatment. The GAD-7 and GAD-2 are widely used screening tools, but their diagnostic accuracy in Eastern European settings, particularly Latvia, has not been thoroughly validated.

Data Highlights

MeasureOptimal Cut-offSensitivitySpecificityAUC
GAD-7≥671.9%76.3%0.799
GAD-2≥280.9%65.8%0.772
GAD-7 (Any Anxiety Disorder)≥470.6%61.6%0.718
GAD-2 (Any Anxiety Disorder)≥264.9%68.1%0.691

Key Findings

  • The study included 1,467 participants from 24 primary care practices.
  • Internal consistency was 0.86 for GAD-7 and 0.72 for GAD-2.
  • GAD-7 and GAD-2 showed the strongest diagnostic accuracy for generalized anxiety disorder.
  • Performance for social phobia and agoraphobia was comparatively limited.
  • Specific cut-offs for different anxiety disorders should be calculated to improve detection.

Clinical Implications

The GAD-7 and GAD-2 can be utilized in Latvian primary care to screen for generalized anxiety disorder.

Conclusion

The GAD-7 and GAD-2 are tools for screening generalized anxiety disorder in Latvian primary care.

Related Resources & Content

  1. Validation of the generalized anxiety disorder scales (GAD-7 and GAD-2) in primary care settings in Latvia - PMC, 2023
  2. Recommendation: Anxiety Disorders in Adults: Screening | United States Preventive Services Taskforce, 2023
  3. BMC Psychiatry (Springer) — Variation in the recall of socially rewarding information and symptoms of generalised anxiety: evidence from two cohorts
  4. Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) — Self-Guided Internet-Based Mindfulness-Informed Stress Management for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial With Longitudinal Network Analysis
  5. conexiant — Anxiety Often Missed in Primary Care
  6. American Journal of Epidemiology — Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Generalized Anxiety Disorder Among Adults with Limited Resources: Findings from a Longitudinal National Cohort Study
  7. Recommendation: Anxiety Disorders in Adults: Screening | United States Preventive Services Taskforce
  8. An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the predictive validity of the general anxiety disorder (GAD)-7 and GAD-2 in screening for anxiety disorders - ScienceDirect
  9. Validation of the generalized anxiety disorder scales (GAD-7 and GAD-2) in primary care settings in Latvia - PMC

Original Source(s)

The reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the GAD-7 and GAD-2 for the most prevalent anxiety disorders in Latvian primary care

  • by Lubova Renemane, Anda Ķīvīte-Urtāne, Elmārs Rancāns

  • July 7, 2026

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