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Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)

Psychology: Mental HealthReliability: alpha 0.894 sample items

About this scale

A 14-item clinician-rated anxiety-severity scale covering psychic and somatic anxiety domains.

Sample item(s)

“Anxious mood (clinician-rated 0–4)”
“Tension”
“Fears”
“Insomnia”

Reliability

Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.89. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.

Notes

Foundational clinician-rated anxiety scale.

Source & citation

Hamilton, M. (1959): The assessment of anxiety states by rating. British Journal of Medical Psychology, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 50–55.

Hamilton, M. (1959): The assessment of anxiety states by rating. British Journal of Medical Psychology, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 50–55.

Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.

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