Age-related characteristics of outpatients with anxiety disorders: the Leiden routine outcome monitoring study

Anke Schat*, Martijn S. van Noorden, Therese van Amelsvoort, Erik J. Giltay, Nic J. A. van der Wee, Marc J. Noom, Robert R. J. M. Vermeiren, Frans G. Zitman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Objective: It has been hypothesised that clinically important age-related differences between adults with anxiety disorders exist; this study aims to elucidate these differences.Methods: We analysed data from 1950 outpatients diagnosed with DSM-IV-TR anxiety disorders treated at a Dutch hospital or affiliated mental healthcare centres. Three age-groups (young- (18-25; n=435), mid- (26-40; n=788) and older adult (41-65; n=727)) were compared with regard to social demographic characteristics, diagnostic characteristics, anxiety symptom profile, general psychiatric symptom profile and generic health status, in addition, linear analyses were carried out with age as a continuous variable.Results: Average age was 36.48 years (SD 11.71), 62.8% were female. Significant associations with age emerged for gender, employment, education level, living situation, observed depression, agoraphobia (AP), social phobia, aches and pains, inner tension, sleep, interpersonal sensitivity, observed hostility, physical functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, vitality and bodily pain in categorical and continuous analyses. Self reported hostility was only significant in group-wise comparisons; role limitations due to emotional problems were only significant in linear analyses (all at p

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)307-313
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice
Volume21
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Keywords

  • Anxiety disorders
  • age
  • outpatient
  • cross-sectional
  • clinical epidemiology
  • PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL RATING-SCALE
  • HEALTH SURVEY
  • DSM-IV
  • DEPRESSION
  • PREVALENCE
  • PATTERNS
  • VALIDATION
  • INTERVIEW
  • SF-36
  • MINI

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