BAI ( BECK’s ANXIETY INVENTORY)

AIM: To assess the participant’s anxiety levels using beck’s anxiety inventory proposed by
Aaron T Beck (Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988; Beck & Steer, 1993).

INTRODUCTION: Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of

fear or apprehension about what’s to come.
Symptoms
Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:

 Feeling nervous, restless or tense

 Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
 Having an increased heart rate
 Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
 Sweating
 Trembling
 Feeling weak or tired
 Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present
worry
 Having trouble sleeping
 Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
 Having difficulty controlling worry
 Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety

The causes of anxiety may include:-

 stress
 other medical issues such as depression or diabetes
 first degree relatives with generalized anxiety disorder
 environmental concerns, such as child abuse
 substance use
 situations such as surgery or occupational hazard
Several types of anxiety disorders exist:

 Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder in which you fear and often avoid
places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped,
helpless or embarrassed.
 Anxiety disorder due to a medical condition includes symptoms of intense
anxiety or panic that are directly caused by a physical health problem.
 Generalized anxiety disorder includes persistent and excessive anxiety and
worry about activities or events — even ordinary, routine issues. The worry is
out of proportion to the actual circumstance, is difficult to control and affects
 how you feel physically. It often occurs along with other anxiety disorders or
depression.
 Panic disorder involves repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety
and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks). You may
have feelings of impending doom, shortness of breath, chest pain, or a rapid,
fluttering or pounding heart (heart palpitations). These panic attacks may lead to
worrying about them happening again or avoiding situations in which they've
occurred.
 Selective mutism is a consistent failure of children to speak in certain
situations, such as school, even when they can speak in other situations, such as
at home with close family members. This can interfere with school, work and
social functioning.
 Separation anxiety disorder is a childhood disorder characterized by anxiety
that's excessive for the child's developmental level and related to separation
from parents or others who have parental roles.
 Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) involves high levels of anxiety, fear
and avoidance of social situations due to feelings of embarrassment, self-
consciousness and concern about being judged or viewed negatively by others.
 Specific phobias are characterized by major anxiety when you're exposed to a
specific object or situation and a desire to avoid it. Phobias provoke panic
attacks in some people.
 Substance-induced anxiety disorder is characterized by symptoms of intense
anxiety or panic that are a direct result of misusing drugs, taking medications,
being exposed to a toxic substance or withdrawal from drugs.
 Other specified anxiety disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder are terms
for anxiety or phobias that don't meet the exact criteria for any other anxiety
disorders but are significant enough to be distressing and disruptive.

PREVALENCE: Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions
globally. They encompass a range of disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder
(GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias.

Global Prevalence:

 Lifetime Prevalence- Anxiety disorders affect approximately 1 in 4 people (25%) at

some point in their lives.
 Annual Prevalence- Each year, about 1 in 10 people (10%) experience an anxiety
disorder.

Specific Disorders:

 Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Around 3-6% of the population will

experience GAD in their lifetime.
 Panic Disorder: About 2-3% of people will experience panic disorder at some point.
  Social Anxiety Disorder: This affects approximately 7-12% of people over their
lifetime.
 Specific Phobias: These are quite common, with lifetime prevalence rates ranging
from 7-9%.

Impact and Comorbidity:

 Functional Impairment: Anxiety disorders can lead to significant impairment in

daily functioning, affecting work, social relationships, and overall quality of life.
 Comorbidity: They often co-occur with other mental health disorders, particularly
depression. It is common for individuals with anxiety disorders to experience
depressive symptoms, which can complicate diagnosis and treatment.

Methodology -
Participant Details:
Name- XYZ
Sex - F
Age- 22 years
Occupation: MSc Student

Materials Required: Pen, Paper, BAI Manual, Questionnaire

TEST DESCRIPTION: The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was created by Aaron T.
Beck and colleagues, and it is a 21-question multiple-choice self-report questionnaire used
for measuring the severity and presence of anxiety in children as well as adults. The questions
in Beck Anxiety Inventory measure the common symptoms of anxiety, and they ask the
participant to define the presence, absence or severity of their symptoms in the last month. A
version of Beck Anxiety Inventory exists for people in the age range of 7-14 years as well,
and it is known as the beck Anxiety Inventory for Youth, while the other, more commonly
used Beck Anxiety Inventory may be used for individuals who are 17 years of age or older.
Typically, the Beck Anxiety Inventory takes about 5 to 10 minutes to complete and it may be
filled out by the patient or the clinician, and typically it is scored by the clinician. The Beck
anxiety inventory was designed as “an inventory for measuring clinical anxiety” and it is one
of the few scales that eliminates the overlap depression and anxiety features completely. The
21 questions on the inventory are scored on a scale value of 0 (not at all) to 3 (severely).
Higher total scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms and the standardized cutoffs are
clinicians refer to are:

Score of 0-21 = low anxiety

Score of 22-35 = moderate anxiety
Score of 36 and above = potentially concerning levels of anxiety

Procedure:
Pre-Arrangements: The subject was seated at a quiet, table. The testing conditions place
on was a comfortable chain & e typical testing situations for administering the test was
ensured. Adequate space, Lighting, relevant materials were provided.
Actual Administration: To administer the BAI, it is essential to provide clear
instructions to participants. You can explain that they should read each statement carefully
and rate how much they have been bothered by that particular symptom over the past week.
“Below is a list of common symptoms of anxiety. Please carefully read each item in the list.
Indicate how much you have been bothered by that symptom during the past month,
including today, by circling the number in the corresponding space in the column next to each
symptom.”
Behavioural Observation: The subject was co-operative and maintained adequate eye-
contact she was attentive and completed the test in about minutes.
Introspective Report: Participant found the test very interesting and took complete
interest in taking the test.
Scoring: The 21 questions on the inventory are scored on a scale value of 0 (not at all) to 3
(severely). The total score ranges from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating greater levels of
anxiety and the standardized cutoffs are clinicians refer to are: The total score is calculated by
finding the sum of the 21 items.

Score of 0-21 = low anxiety

Score of 22-35 = moderate anxiety
Score of 36 and above = potentially concerning levels of anxiety

Result Table:
NOT AT ALL MILDLY MODERATELY SEVERLY
ALL ITEMS 0 11 6 0
TOTAL SCORE= 17 ( Low Anxiety )

IMPRESSION: The aim of the test is to assess the participant’s anxiety levels using
beck’s anxiety inventory proposed by Aaron T Beck (Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988;
Beck & Steer, 1993). Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear
or apprehension about what’s to come.
The BAI total score is the sum of the ratings given by the examinee for the 2 1 symptoms.
Each symptom is rated on a 4-point scale ranging from O to 3. The maximum score is 63
points. The participant’s total score on Beck’s anxiety inventory was found to be 17 implying
low score indicating low levels of anxiety. This score indicates that the participant
experiences a notable degree of worry, nervousness, and physiological arousal across various
situations. They likely exhibit symptoms such as restlessness, tension, and difficulty
controlling their anxious thoughts. This level of anxiety may significantly interfere with their
daily functioning, causing disruptions in work, relationships, and overall well-being. The
individual might find it challenging to relax or concentrate due to persistent anxious feelings.
They may also experience physical symptoms like trembling, sweating, or rapid heartbeat,
further exacerbating their distress. Overall, a score of 17 indicates a considerable burden of
anxiety that warrants attention and potentially intervention to help alleviate their symptoms
and improve their quality of life. BAI total score yields an estimate of the overall low levels
of anxiety being described by the participant; no co-morbid symptoms of depression were
showed. Participant did not complain of frequent depressive symptoms, and there is no
presence of suicidal ideation & does not indicate suicidal risk. For these reasons, the
administration of other scales, such as the BDI (Beck & Steer, 1987) and the Beck
Hopelessness Scale (BHS; Beck & Steer, 1988), is not needed.

Conclusion: Anxiety levels of the participant indicate raw score of 17 implying low
anxiety levels.
References: Beck, A.T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R.A. (1988). An inventory for
measuring clinical anxiety: Psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology, 56, 893-897.