Correlates of Anxiety Symptoms in Physically Disabled Older Women

Gretchen A. Brenes, Jack M. Guralnik, Jeff Williamson, Linda P. Fried, Brenda W.J.H. Penninx
2005 The American journal of geriatric psychiatry  
Objective-The authors describe characteristics that are associated with chronic anxiety symptoms and examine the use of anxiolytic and anti-depressant medications in physically disabled women with and without symptoms of anxiety. Methods-Participants are 791 physically disabled women aged 65 years and older who participated in the Women's Health and Aging Study for 2 to 3 years. Anxiety symptoms were measured with 4 questions from the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, and women were categorized as
more » ... ng no anxiety, intermittent anxiety, and chronic anxiety symptoms. Health-related characteristics, medications, physical functioning, physical activity, and psychosocial variables were also measured. Results-Forty-nine percent of women reported no anxiety symptoms, 41% reported intermittent symptoms, and 10% reported chronic symptoms of anxiety. Depressive symptoms and lack of emotional support were significant correlates of intermittent anxiety symptoms, while depressive symptoms, negative life events, and lack of emotional support were significant correlates of chronic anxiety symptoms. Over the course of 3 years, 20.3% of women with no anxiety, 33.0% of women with intermittent anxiety, and 48.7% of women with chronic anxiety symptoms took anxiolytic and/ or anti-depressant medications. Conclusion-Anxiety symptoms are common among disabled older women. Psychosocial variables were significantly different in women with intermittent or chronic anxiety symptoms compared with women without anxiety.
doi:10.1097/00019442-200501000-00004 pmid:15653936 pmcid:PMC1343492 fatcat:irstauwc2bdtjirgsy45fszouu