scholarly journals Association Between Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scores and Online Activity Among US Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Analysis (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parvati Singh ◽  
William G Cumberland ◽  
Dominic Ugarte ◽  
Tim-Allen Bruckner ◽  
Sean D Young
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Online Activity ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Daily Time

BACKGROUND Evidence from past pandemics suggests that fear, uncertainty, and loss of control during large-scale public health crises may lead to increased pandemic-related information seeking, particularly among persons predisposed to high anxiety. In such groups, a greater consumption of information pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic may increase anxiety. OBJECTIVE In this study, we examine the association between online activity and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scores in the United States. METHODS We recruited participants for an online survey through advertisements on various platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Reddit. A total of 406 adult US participants with moderate to severe (≥10) GAD-7 scores met the inclusion criteria and completed the survey. Anxiety levels measured using the GAD-7 scale formed our primary outcome. Our key independent variables were average daily time spent online and average daily time spent online searching about COVID-19 within the past 14 days. We used as controls potential confounders of the relation between our key independent variables and GAD-7 scores, namely, sleep quality, the COVID-19 Fear Inventory scale, binge drinking, substance use, prescription drug abuse, and sociodemographic attributes. RESULTS Linear multivariate regression analyses showed that GAD-7 scores were higher among those who spent &gt;4 hours online (per day) searching for information about COVID-19 (coefficient 1.29, <i>P</i>=.002), controlling for all other covariates. The total time spent online was not statistically associated with GAD-7 scores. CONCLUSIONS Results from this study indicate that limiting pandemic-related online information seeking may aid anxiety management in our study population.

scholarly journals Association Between Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scores and Online Activity Among US Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Analysis

10.2196/21490 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. e21490
Author(s):  
Parvati Singh ◽  
William G Cumberland ◽  
Dominic Ugarte ◽  
Tim-Allen Bruckner ◽  
Sean D Young
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Online Activity ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Daily Time

Background Evidence from past pandemics suggests that fear, uncertainty, and loss of control during large-scale public health crises may lead to increased pandemic-related information seeking, particularly among persons predisposed to high anxiety. In such groups, a greater consumption of information pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic may increase anxiety. Objective In this study, we examine the association between online activity and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scores in the United States. Methods We recruited participants for an online survey through advertisements on various platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Reddit. A total of 406 adult US participants with moderate to severe (≥10) GAD-7 scores met the inclusion criteria and completed the survey. Anxiety levels measured using the GAD-7 scale formed our primary outcome. Our key independent variables were average daily time spent online and average daily time spent online searching about COVID-19 within the past 14 days. We used as controls potential confounders of the relation between our key independent variables and GAD-7 scores, namely, sleep quality, the COVID-19 Fear Inventory scale, binge drinking, substance use, prescription drug abuse, and sociodemographic attributes. Results Linear multivariate regression analyses showed that GAD-7 scores were higher among those who spent >4 hours online (per day) searching for information about COVID-19 (coefficient 1.29, P=.002), controlling for all other covariates. The total time spent online was not statistically associated with GAD-7 scores. Conclusions Results from this study indicate that limiting pandemic-related online information seeking may aid anxiety management in our study population.

Alternative, Complementary, or Not: Is Mainstream Medicine Ready for Herbal Medicine?

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 825-825
Author(s):  
Jack M. Gorman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
The United States ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Mainstream Medicine ◽  
Duke University ◽  
Herbal Therapies ◽  
Pharmaceutical Agents

Proponents of herbal therapies frequently insist that traditional physicians must be made ready to accept so-called “alternative” or “complementary” treatments. In this month's issue of CNS Spectrums, two wonderful guest editors, Drs. Jonathan Davidson and Kathryn M. Connor, both of Duke University, help us turn that issue around. The real question for psychiatrists, neurologists, and neuroscientists is whether herbal treatments are ready for us.Due in large part to recent Congressional mandates, dietary supplements, even when proposed to work for medical conditions like depression and generalized anxiety disorder, do not require approval in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration as pharmaceutical agents.

scholarly journals Prevalence and impact of generalized anxiety disorder and major depression in primary care in Belgium and Luxemburg: the GADIS study

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Ansseau ◽  
Benjamin Fischler ◽  
Michel Dierick ◽  
Annick Mignon ◽  
Sophie Leyman
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
Large Scale Screening

AbstractPurposeGADIS aims at determining the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depression (MD) in primary care and their impact on the patient’s functioning in Belgium and Luxemburg.MethodsA large scale screening program was conducted at the consultation of general practitioners to detect patients with GAD and MD according to DSM-IV criteria. We collected additional data regarding the use of hypnotic, tranquilizer, antidepressant and analgesic medications. Impact on the patient was assessed with the Sheehan disability scale.ResultsThree hundred GP’s in Belgium and Luxemburg were asked to screen 50 consecutive patients. Of the 13,677 analyzed patients, 8.3% were diagnosed to have GAD and 6.3% MD. Comorbidity was observed in 4.2% of patients. The prevalence was much higher in the French-speaking part of Belgium. GAD and MD were associated with impairment in social, familial and professional functioning. Only a minority of patients with GAD and/or MD was treated with an antidepressant and almost half of subjects with GAD and/or MD were treated with a tranquilizer.ConclusionsPrevalence rates of GAD and MD in primary care in Belgium are comparable to other countries. GAD and MD are disabling conditions. Antidepressants are still used only in a minority of subjects with GAD and/or MD in primary care in Belgium and Luxemburg. The prevalence of GAD and MD appears to be much higher in French-speaking parts of Belgium.

The effects of co-morbidity on the onset and persistence of generalized anxiety disorder in the ICPE surveys

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 1213-1225 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. KESSLER ◽  
L. H. ANDRADE ◽  
R. V. BIJL ◽  
D. R. OFFORD ◽  
O. V. DEMLER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Composite International Diagnostic Interview ◽  
The United States ◽  
Elevated Risk ◽  
World Health ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Co Morbidity ◽  
First Onset ◽  
History Of

Background. Although it is well known that generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is highly co-morbid with other mental disorders, little is known about the extent to which earlier disorders predict the subsequent first onset and persistence of GAD. These associations are examined in the current report using data from four community surveys in the World Health Organization (WHO) International Consortium in Psychiatric Epidemiology (ICPE).Method. The surveys come from Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to assess DSM-III-R anxiety, mood and substance use disorders in these surveys. Discrete-time survival analysis was used to examine the associations of retrospectively reported earlier disorders with first onset of GAD. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations of the disorders with persistence of GAD.Results. Six disorders predict first onset of GAD in all four surveys: agoraphobia, panic disorder, simple phobia, dysthymia, major depression and mania. With the exception of simple phobia, only respondents with active disorders have elevated risk of GAD. In the case of simple phobia, in comparison, respondents with a history of remitted disorder also have consistently elevated risk of GAD. Simple phobia is also the only disorder that predicts the persistence of GAD.Conclusions. The causal processes linking temporally primary disorders to onset of GAD are likely to be state-dependent. History of simple phobia might be a GAD risk marker. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms involved in the relationship between simple phobia and subsequent GAD.

scholarly journals Stress and anxiety among physicians during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region: An online survey

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253903
Author(s):  
Banaz A. Saeed ◽  
Nazar P. Shabila ◽  
Aram Jalal Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Considerable Proportion ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Iraqi Kurdistan ◽  
Severe Anxiety

Background During infectious disease outbreaks, healthcare workers are at high risk of infection, infecting others, and psychological distress. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of stress and anxiety in physicians during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and assess their associated factors. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan Region, from March 28 to April 15, 2020. An online self-administered survey questionnaire was used to collect data from physicians working in specialized COVID-19 centers and other healthcare facilities. The level of stress was measured based on the 10-items Perceived Stress Scale. The level of anxiety was measured based on the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale. Results A total of 370 participants responded to the perceived stress component of the survey, of whom 57 (15.4%) had low perceived stress, 249 (67.3%) had moderate stress, and 64 (17.3%) had high stress. Being female was significantly associated with having moderate/high stress (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.40 (95% CI 1.31–4.39)). A total of 201 participants responded to the generalized anxiety disorder component of the survey, of whom 19 (9.5%) had no anxiety, 57 (28.4%) had mild anxiety, 79 (39.3%) had moderate anxiety, and 46 (22.9%) had severe anxiety. Working in COVID-19 centers (AOR = 2.23 (95% CI 1.02–4.86)) and being general practitioners (AOR = 4.16 (95% CI 1.14–15.14)) were significantly associated with having moderate/severe anxiety. Conclusion A considerable proportion of physicians experience stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak in Iraqi Kurdistan region. Generalists and those in special COVID-19 units report the greatest anxiety. There a need to establish mechanisms to reduce the risks of stress and anxiety among physicians. Mental health coping interventions through counseling should be based on COVID-19 protocol guidelines. Interventions should also emphasize physicians’ ability to work safely and efficiently in providing care to the patients.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health: Prevalence and Correlates of New-Onset Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in a Canadian Province (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Abba-Aji ◽  
Daniel Li ◽  
Marianne Hrabok ◽  
Reham Shalaby ◽  
April Gusnowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Hand Washing ◽  
World Health ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive

BACKGROUND Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on March 11, 2020. Subsequently, an intensive public health campaign recommending regular hand washing, physical distancing, and facemask use evolved as a global strategy to limit viral transmission. OBJECTIVE Objective: This study investigates the prevalence of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms at an early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. METHODS Methods: This a population-based, cross-sectional online survey of Canadians aged 18 years and older. We used the contamination and cleanliness subscale of the Brief Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (BOCS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), likely Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, and likely Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale to investigate prevalence of OCD symptoms and their correlation to perceived stress, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS Results: 32,805 individuals who subscribed for supportive text messages with Text4Hope were invited to complete an online survey; 6,041 responded with a mean age of 42 years (age range 11-88 years) and a response rate of 18.4%. Overall, 60.3% of respondents, reported onset of obsessions related to contamination with dirt, germs, or viruses and while 53.8% had compulsions to wash hands during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents who were worried about dirt, germs, and viruses only since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic were significantly more likely to have moderate/high stress (z=6.4, p<0.001), likely GAD (z=6.0, p<0.001), and likely MDD (z=2.7, p<0.01) compared to respondents who have never been worried about dirt, germs, and viruses. Similarly, respondents who engage in compulsive hand washing were significantly more likely to have moderate/high stress (z=4.6, p<0.001) and likely GAD (z=4.6 p<0.001) but not likely MDD (z=1.4, p=0.16) compared to respondents who have never engaged in compulsive hand washing. CONCLUSIONS Conclusion: Prevalence of OCD symptoms increased during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, at a rate significantly higher than pre-pandemic rates reported for the sample population. Presenting with OCD symptoms during the pandemic significantly increases the likelihood for respondents to present with elevated stress levels, likely GAD and likely MDD. CLINICALTRIAL

scholarly journals Should excessive worry be required for a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder? Results from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 1761-1772 ◽  
Author(s):  
AYELET MERON RUSCIO ◽  
MICHAEL LANE ◽  
PETER ROY-BYRNE ◽  
PAUL E. STANG ◽  
DAN J. STEIN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Familial Aggregation ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
National Comorbidity Survey Replication ◽  
National Comorbidity Survey ◽  
Co Morbidity ◽  
The Us ◽  
Dsm Iv

Background. Excessive worry is required by DSM-IV, but not ICD-10, for a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). No large-scale epidemiological study has ever examined the implications of this requirement for estimates of prevalence, severity, or correlates of GAD.Method. Data were analyzed from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication, a nationally representative, face-to-face survey of adults in the USA household population that was fielded in 2001–2003. DSM-IV GAD was assessed with Version 3.0 of the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Non-excessive worriers meeting all other DSM-IV criteria for GAD were compared with respondents who met full GAD criteria as well as with other survey respondents to consider the implications of removing the excessiveness requirement.Results. The estimated lifetime prevalence of GAD increases by ~40% when the excessiveness requirement is removed. Excessive GAD begins earlier in life, has a more chronic course, and is associated with greater symptom severity and psychiatric co-morbidity than non-excessive GAD. However, non-excessive cases nonetheless evidence substantial persistence and impairment of GAD, high rates of treatment-seeking, and significantly elevated co-morbidity compared with respondents without GAD. Non-excessive cases also have sociodemographic characteristics and familial aggregation of GAD comparable to excessive cases.Conclusions. Individuals who meet all criteria for GAD other than excessiveness have a somewhat milder presentation than those with excessive worry, yet resemble excessive worriers in a number of important ways. These findings challenge the validity of the excessiveness requirement and highlight the need for further research into the optimal definition of GAD.

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