Levels of Situational and Personal Anxiety in Older Age Groups

Abstract

The prevalence of anxiety disorders in older age groups is becoming a significant burden on public health. Compared with other age groups, elderly people suffering from mental illness, especially with anxiety disorders, often remain without proper diagnosis and treatment. Underestimation of anxiety disorder and its insufficient therapy can create difficulties in correcting general medical problems and be a factor in the progression of somatic disease. Purpose. To study age-related characteristics of levels of situational and personal anxiety in people of older age groups. Materials and methods. The present study involved patients with arterial hypertension aged 45 to 90 years. A total of 535 patients were examined of which 266 people. we made up an elderly group and 103 people – a group of senile age. Using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire designed for self-assessment of various levels of anxiety, the severity of personal and situational anxiety was assessed. Results. The frequency of situational and personal anxiety varied in the range from 3.25% to 40.4% and was slightly lower in people of older age groups. Among men of older age groups, the frequency of increased and pronounced levels of personal anxiety was statistically significantly higher in comparison with women of the same age group. Both among women and among older men pronounced levels of situational anxiety were more common in comparison with persons of younger age groups. Conclusion. In people of older age groups, the severity of levels of personal and situational anxiety depended on the age and gender of the subjects.