Socioeconomic correlates of generalized anxiety disorder and major depression in primary care: The GADIS II study (Generalized Anxiety and Depression Impact Survey II)

Abstract

A previous Generalized Anxiety Disorder Impact Survey (GADIS I) performed on 15,399 Belgian patients consulting their primary care physicians, revealed high prevalences of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depression (MD) with important regional differences. The objective of this study (GADIS II) was to replicate previous findings and to evaluate the role of socioeconomic factors in the diagnoses of GAD and MD. A large-scale cross-sectional survey was conducted in a random sample of 377 general practitioners distributed geographically over Belgium and Luxemburg. Each physician was asked to screen 40 consecutive patients at predefined time periods for the presence of GAD and MD using sections of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Socioeconomic parameters were collected. The level of impairment was assessed using the Sheehan Disability Scale. In a sample of 13,699 patients, point prevalences of GAD and of MD were found to be 13.4 and 11.0%, respectively. Overall, 17.8% of the population was positive for GAD and/or MD. Both disorders were significantly more frequent in women than in men. Marked regional differences were observed with prevalences for GAD and/or MD of 24.2% in Brussels, 22.7% in Wallonia, 13.6% in Luxemburg and 12.9% in Flanders. Several socioeconomic factors were significantly associated with positive diagnoses: living alone, a low level of education and unemployment. However, regional differences remained significant even after controlling for socioeconomic factors. The study confirms the high prevalence of GAD and MD in primary care and the role of several socioeconomic and regional factors in the illnesses.

Depression in Chinese men undergoing different assisted reproductive technique treatments: prevalence and risk factors

“…To be precise, 14. However, common risk factors for depression in the general population, such as obesity [19], smoking [20], education background [21,22]were not associated with depression in men undergoing ART treatments in the present study( Table 3). The logistic regression was not performed in TESA/PESA group in current study, because the number of men in TESA/PESA group was limited.…”

Subthreshold depression based on functional impairment better defined by symptom severity than by number of DSM-IV symptoms

“…Age, gender and socio-economic status have been found to be associated with depression and impairment (Ansseau et al, 2008). Age, gender and years of educations, measured in a demographics interview, were therefore covaried in current analyses.…”

What Money Can (and Can't) Buy: A Behavior Genetic Analysis of the Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Socioeconomic Advantage in Modern America

“…We summarize the extant research in detail in Chapter 1, but several highlights are noteworthy. First, the link between compositional and contextual SES and mental health is broad and spans many facets of mental well-being, including internalizing (Ansseau et al, 2007;Bøe et al, 2012;Gilman et al, 2002;Goodman, 1999;Green & Benzeval, 2013;Lemstra et al, 2008b;Lorant et al, 2003;Muramatsu, 2003;South & Krueger, 2011;Tambs et al, 2012;Zimmerman & Katon, 2005), neuroticism (Jonassaint et al, 2011;South & Krueger, 2011), externalizing (Amone-P' Olak et al, 2009;Bøe et al, 2012;Hsieh & Pugh, 1993;Huisman et al, 2010;National Center for Health Statistics, 2012), and serious mental illness and personality pathology (Hudson, 2005;Walsh et al, 2012). Second, this relationship appears to strengthen with age (Miech & Shanahan, 2000).…”

“…In children (Bøe, Øverland, Lundervold, & Hysing, 2012;Gilman, Kawachi, Fitzmaurice, & Buka, 2002), adolescents (Goodman, 1999;Lemstra et al, 2008b), and adults (Ansseau et al, 2007;Green & Benzeval, 2013;Lorant et al, 2003;Zimmerman & Katon, 2005), lower SES is associated with increased risk for depression or depressive symptoms and suicide, and this relationship strengthens with age (Miech & Shanahan, 2000). Socioeconomic status also accounts for a large proportion of the disease burden for depression (26-40% depending on the SES indicator) among adolescents (Goodman, Slap, & Huang, 2003).…”

“…Anxiety symptoms (Ansseau et al, 2007;Lemstra et al, 2008b;Green & Benzeval, 2013;South & Krueger, 2011;Tambs et al, 2012) and neuroticism characteristics (Jonassaint, Siegler, Barefoot, Edwards, & Williams, 2011;South & Krueger, 2011) are similarly associated with lower SES across the lifespan. Socioeconomic factors (particularly parental education) are also implicated in externalizing problems in adolescents (Amone-P' Olak et al, 2009;Bøe et al, 2012;Huisman et al, 2010), including aggression (Amone-P'Olak et al, 2009), delinquency or misconduct (Amone-P' Olak et al, 2009;Bøe et al, 2012), and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (Amone-P' Olak et al, 2009;Bøe et al, 2012; National Center for Health Statistics, 2012).…”