Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40095130›Full record

ArticleDer Nervenarzt2025

The Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA-27): reliability of the German translation, factor structure, and concurrent validity with anxiety sensitivity and agoraphobic cognition.

Patrik D Seuling, Michael G Gottschalk, Melanie Vietz, Ulrike Lueken, Tina B Lonsdorf, Udo Dannlowski, Paul Pauli, Jürgen Deckert, Stefano Pini, Vijaya Manicavasagar and 2 more

Abstract readValidation Study
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In one paragraph

Article in Der Nervenarzt, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

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4citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Patrik D SeulingDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 5, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
Michael G GottschalkDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 5, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
Melanie VietzDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Ulrike LuekenInstitute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Tina B LonsdorfInstitute of Psychology, Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
Udo DannlowskiInstitute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Paul PauliDepartment of Psychology I-Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Jürgen DeckertDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Stefano PiniDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Vijaya ManicavasagarDiscipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Katharina DomschkeDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 5, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
Miriam A SchieleDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 5, 79104, Freiburg, Germany. miriam.schiele@uniklinik-freiburg.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSeparation anxiety disorder (SEPAD) is characterized by pronounced fear or anxiety concerning separation from attachment figures. Despite its high lifetime prevalence, adult SEPAD often remains undetected due to a lack of diagnostic tools in multiple languages. The Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA-27) is a key instrument for assessing symptoms of SEPAD in adults. However, no validated German version is available.

objectivesThis study addressed the translation and validation of the ASA-27 in a German-speaking population to introduce the first German questionnaire assessing SEPAD. MATERIALS AND

methodsA consecutive forward and backward translation was conducted. Reliability and validity of the German ASA-27 against several established anxiety-related psychometric scores were assessed in a large sample of 1520 healthy participants.

resultsResults revealed robust internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.87) and a factor structure explaining 49.7% of variations in answers. Concurrent validity was confirmed through significant correlations with established anxiety measures. Younger age and female sex were positively correlated with ASA-27 scores.

conclusionThe German ASA-27 constitutes a promising diagnostic tool for adult SEPAD with sound psychometric properties and a coherent factor structure, offering a structured and reliable assessment of SEPAD and its dimensional evaluation in German-speaking populations.

Indexed as

AgoraphobiaAnxiety, SeparationAdultAgedFemaleGermanyHumansMaleMiddle AgedPsychometricsReproducibility of ResultsSensitivity and SpecificitySurveys and QuestionnairesTranslatingTranslationsYoung AdultAnxiety DisordersDiagnosticsPsychometricsSEPADSeparation Phobia

Identifiers

PMID40095130
PMCPMC12662851

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.