According to the Field Representative's Manual for 1999, this set of GAD questions was included "to determine if the Sample Adult has had or still has a period lasting one month or longer when most of the time they felt worried, tense, or anxious in the past 12 months and, if so, how much they worry, if this worry has ended or is still going on and how long, how long it has affected them, how they dealt with these problems, and how much these problems interfered with their life or activities."

To ascertain this, respondents received a first set of screening questions that asked whether they had experienced a period of feeling worried, tense, or anxious (WOR1MO) or worrying more than most people (WORMORE) during the past 12 months. Respondents who answered "Yes" in either WOR1MO or WORMORE were then given a second set of screening questions used to determine whether this period lasted 6+ months.

For the second set of screening questions, respondents were first asked if the period of feeling worried, tense, or anxious or worrying more than most people was still going on (WORSTILL). Respondents who indicated in WORSTILL that this period had ended were asked, "How many months or years did it go on before it ended?" Responses to this question were recorded in two variables, WORAGONO (number of units) and WORAGOTP (time period). Respondents who indicated in WORSTILL that the period was still going on or who had an unknown answer in WORSTILL were asked about the duration of the (on-going) period of feeling worried, tense, or anxious or worrying more than most people. Their responses to the question "How many months or years has it been going on?" were recorded in two variables, WORNO (number of units) and WORTP (time period). If the respondent's answer to WORAGONO/WORAGOTP or WORNO/WORTP was "unknown," interviewers asked whether the period had lasted at least 6 months (WOR6MO).

Respondents who indicated that the period of feeling worried, tense, or anxious or worrying more than most people lasted at least six months (according to WORSTILL and WORAGONO/WORAGOTP, WORNO/WORTP, or WOR6MO) were asked about the following physiological symptoms of GAD:

• Felt restless while worried/anxious ("Yes" in WORRESTLES)

• Felt keyed up/on edge while worried/anxious ("Yes" in WOREDGY)

• Felt irritable while worried/anxious ("Yes" in WORIRRIT)

• Heart raced while worried/anxious ("Yes" in WORHEART)

• Easily tired while worried/anxious ("Yes" in WORTIRED)

• Had problems sleeping while worried/anxious ("Yes" in WORINSOM)

• Felt dizzy while worried/anxious ("Yes" in WORDIZZY)

They were also asked other supplemental questions:

• Told doctor about worries (WORTOLDDR)

• Used drugs or alcohol due to worries (WORDRUGALC)

• Amount worry interfered with life (WORINTFERE)

For more information on all the variables associated with the NHIS CIDI-SF screening scale on GAD, and for instructions on how to calculate generalized anxiety disorder scores, see WOR1MO.