Women in developed countries are at greatest risk of anxiety, says study
Posted on: 07/Jun/2016 9:45:53 AM
A new study has said that women under 35 years of age from developed countries are at the greatest risk of anxiety. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge and was published in the journal Brain and Behaviour.
The researchers reviewed existing scientific literature and found that women are almost twice as likely to experience anxiety as men and young individuals, both male and female, under 35 are disproportionately affected. The results of the study also showed that the people from Western Europe and North America are more likely to suffer from anxiety than people from other cultures. The review also highlighted how anxiety disorders often provide a double burden on people experiencing other health-related problems, such as heart disease, cancer and even pregnancy.
Reviews were carried out globally. 48 out of the total 1200 matched their criteria for inclusion. They showed that people with other health conditions are often far more likely to also experience anxiety disorders. For example, around one in ten adults with cardiovascular disease and living in Western countries are affected by generalised anxiety disorder, with women showing higher anxiety levels than men. People living with multiple sclerosis are most affected as many as one in three patients also have an anxiety disorder.
Say the researchers, Anxiety disorders can make life extremely difficult for some people and it is important for our health services to understand how common they are and which groups of people are at greatest risk. By collecting all these data together, we see that these disorders are common across all groups, but women and young people are disproportionately affected. Also, people who have a chronic health condition are at a particular risk, adding a double burden on their lives.
