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Global prevalence of anxiety disorders: a systematic review and meta-regression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2012

A. J. Baxter ,
K. M. Scott ,
T. Vos  and
H. A. Whiteford
A. J. Baxter*
Affiliation:
Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Policy and Evaluation Group, Wacol, QLD, Australia University of Queensland, School of Population Health, Herston, QLD, Australia
K. M. Scott
Affiliation:
University of Otago, Department of Psychological Medicine, Dunedin, New Zealand
T. Vos
Affiliation:
University of Queensland, School of Population Health, Herston, QLD, Australia
H. A. Whiteford
Affiliation:
Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Policy and Evaluation Group, Wacol, QLD, Australia University of Queensland, School of Population Health, Herston, QLD, Australia
*
*Address for correspondence: A. J. Baxter, The University of Queensland, School of Population Health, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Locked Bag 500, Sumner Park BC, Brisbane, QLD 4074, Australia. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

The literature describing the global prevalence of anxiety disorders is highly variable. A systematic review and meta-regression were undertaken to estimate the prevalence of anxiety disorders and to identify factors that may influence these estimates. The findings will inform the new Global Burden of Disease study.

Method

A systematic review identified prevalence studies of anxiety disorders published between 1980 and 2009. Electronic databases, reference lists, review articles and monographs were searched and experts then contacted to identify missing studies. Substantive and methodological factors associated with inter-study variability were identified through meta-regression analyses and the global prevalence of anxiety disorders was calculated adjusting for study methodology.

Results

The prevalence of anxiety disorders was obtained from 87 studies across 44 countries. Estimates of current prevalence ranged between 0.9% and 28.3% and past-year prevalence between 2.4% and 29.8%. Substantive factors including gender, age, culture, conflict and economic status, and urbanicity accounted for the greatest proportion of variability. Methodological factors in the final multivariate model (prevalence period, number of disorders and diagnostic instrument) explained an additional 13% of variance between studies. The global current prevalence of anxiety disorders adjusted for methodological differences was 7.3% (4.8–10.9%) and ranged from 5.3% (3.5–8.1%) in African cultures to 10.4% (7.0–15.5%) in Euro/Anglo cultures.

Conclusions

Anxiety disorders are common and the substantive and methodological factors identified here explain much of the variability in prevalence estimates. Specific attention should be paid to cultural differences in responses to survey instruments for anxiety disorders.

Keywords

Anxiety disordersepidemiologyglobal burden of diseasemental disordersprevalencepsychiatric epidemiology
Type
Review Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 43 , Issue 5 , May 2013 , pp. 897 - 910
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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