Social and Economic Factors. Several studies reported a significant increase in anxiety levels in children and college students in the past two decades compared to children in the 1950s. In two 2000 studies, anxiety was associated with a lack of social connections and a sense of a more threatening environment.
It follows then, that more socially alienated populations would have higher levels of anxiety. For example, a study of Mexican adults living in California reported that native-born Mexican Americans were three times more likely to have anxiety disorders (and even more likely to be depressed) as those who had recently immigrated to the U.S. And the longer the immigrants lived in the U.S., the greater was their risk for psychiatric problems. Traditional Mexican cultural effects and social ties, appear to protect recently arrived immigrants from mental illness, even when they are poor. Eventually, however, the consequences of Americanization may lead to depression and anxiety, probably resulting from feelings of alienation and inferiority, not only in many Mexican Americans but also in other impoverished minority groups
Risk Factors for Generalized Anxiety (GAD)
GAD affects about 5% of Americans in the course of their lives and is more common in women than in men. Some experts believe that it is underdiagnosed and more common than any other anxiety disorder. It is certainly the most common anxiety disorder among the elderly. GAD usually begins in childhood and often becomes a chronic ailment, particularly when left untreated. Depression in adolescence may be a strong predictor of GAD in adulthood. Depression commonly accompanies this anxiety disorder in any case.
Risk Factors for Panic Disorder
Age and Panic Disorder. Studies indicate that the prevalence of panic disorder among adults is between 1.6 - 2% and is much higher in adolescence, 3.5 - 9%. In one study, 18% of adult patients with panic disorder reported the onset of the disorder before 10 years of age. In general, however, panic disorder tends to begin in late adolescence and peaks at around 25 years of age.
Gender and Panic Disorder. Women have about twice the risk for panic disorder as men. Panic attacks are very common after menopause. In one study, nearly 18% of older women reported panic attacks within a 6-month period, with over half of these attacks being full-blown. They tended to be associated with stressful life events and poor health. The effects of pregnancy on panic disorder appear to be mixed. It seems to improve the condition in some women and worsen it in others.
Previous Section
