Gender differences in anxiety disorders: Prevalence, course of illness, comorbidity and burden of illness

Summary & key facts

This study looked at 20,013 U.S. adults using national survey data (CPES). It found that women were more likely than men to have an anxiety disorder. Women had higher lifetime and 12-month rates for almost every anxiety diagnosis. There were no gender differences in when anxiety started or how long it lasted. Women with anxiety were more likely than men to have other mental health problems and to report more illness-related burden, especially among European American women.

Key facts:

• The study used data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES) covering 20,013 adults in the U.S. (data collected 2002–2003).
• The lifetime male:female prevalence ratio for any anxiety disorder was 1:1.7. The 12-month male:female ratio was 1:1.79.
• Women had higher lifetime rates than men for every anxiety disorder examined except social anxiety disorder, which showed no gender difference in prevalence.
• No gender differences were found in age of onset or in the chronicity (duration/persistence) of anxiety disorders.
• Women with a lifetime anxiety diagnosis were more likely than men to also have another anxiety disorder, bulimia nervosa, and major depressive disorder.
• Anxiety disorders were linked to greater illness burden (more disability or impairment) in women than in men, particularly among European American women and to a lesser extent among Hispanic women.

Topics

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Eating Disorders and Behaviors

Categories

Experimental and Cognitive Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Anxiety Anxiety disorder Clinical psychology Comorbidity Epidemiology Generalized anxiety disorder Internal medicine Medicine National Comorbidity Survey Prevalence Prevalence of mental disorders Psychiatry Psychology

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Depression Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Panic disorder and phobias PTSD Anxiety or worry Panic Poor sleep Sadness or low mood