discussion 10

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Assessment of the PROMIS Emotional Distress—Anxiety—Short Form for Elderly Clients

WKS 6

Walden University

SOCW-6111

Dr. Larscheid

January 04, 2026

Meets 80–89%

Response fully describes at least two challenges/limitations that might exist for this assessment tool when working with elderly/aging adults. ...Response demonstrates clear connection to the Learning Resources. At least one scholarly resource is used to support the response.

One of the effective assessment tools to be used in assessing the symptoms of anxiety among older adults is the PROMIS Emotional Distress—Anxiety- Short Form developed by the American Psychiatric Association (n.d.). I chose this tool as it is an effective and homogeneous method of determining the degree of anxiety and its practical consequences in a variety of circumstances. This tool includes short but validated items that reduce fatigue and confusion of elderly clients unlike lengthy diagnostic inventories which is a crucial requirement when working with the elderly in social work practice (Brandell, 2020).

The instrument is especially useful with elderly groups of people since it can record both emotional and physiological expressions of anxiety that can be easily incorrectly interpreted as physical or cognitive impairments (Tampi and Tampi, 2020). It is responsive to recent emotional conditions, which corresponds to the developmental and psychosocial intricacies of aging, in which the anxiety can be the result of bereavement, waning health, or isolation (Hung et al., 2019).

However, challenges exist. Alexithymia some elderly people with sensory or cognitive limitations might have problems with the accuracy of self-reporting. Such differences in expression of emotions between cultures may also impact the responses, and the practitioners need to place the results in the context of a broader psychosocial perspective (Brandell, 2020).

Mental health diagnoses are common among this population and they include generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder (Tampi and Tampi, 2020). The PROMIS Anxiety measure also helps in the differentiation of anxiety symptoms, depressive or somatic complaints through the provision of a structured emotional profile. Its combination in clinical practice improves early identification and the biopsychosocial approach in keeping with ethical social work practice (Elman et al., 2020).

On the whole, the given tool will help to achieve holistic and client-centered evaluation and make informed decisions during interventions based on the emotional state of older adults.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). Online assessment measures. https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/educational-resources/assessment-measures

Brandell, J. R. (Ed.). (2020). Theory & practice in clinical social work (3rd ed.). Cognella.

Elman, A., Rosselli, S., Burnes, D., Clark, S., Stern, M. E., LoFaso, V. M., Mulcare, M. R., Breckman, R., & Rosen, T. (2020). Developing the emergency department elder mistreatment assessment tool for social workers using a modified Delphi technique. Health & Social Work, 45(2), 110–121. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlz040

Hung, M., Voss, M. W., Bounsanga, J., Graff, T., & Birmingham, W. C. (2019). Assessing spousal support and health in an aging population: Support and strain amidst changing social dynamics. Social Work in Health Care, 58(4), 345–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/00981389.2019.1569577

Tampi, R. R., & Tampi, D. J. (2020). The most prevalent psychiatric disorder in older adults. Psychiatric Times, 37(7), 44–45. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/most-prevalent-psychiatric-disorder-older-adults