Introduction
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is among the most frequent mental disorders. It can develop as an independent disorder and be diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria (DSM code 300.02 (F41.1). However, generalized anxiety disorder often develops as a comorbid condition of other mental disorders, for example, depression, panic disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. There are some factors that influence the prevalence of this disorder and can increase or reduce the risk of its development. These factors include age, gender, race, culture, and environment.
Age
It is generally accepted that generalized anxiety disorder is more characteristic of adults. Thus, for adolescents, its lifetime prevalence is less than one percent while average lifetime prevalence for adults is about three percent. Although generalized anxiety disorder can be observed in people of different age, it is mostly common for the third decade of life. However, the risk to get is decreases in the later years.
Gender
Generalized anxiety disorder can affect both men and women. Nevertheless, females are diagnosed twice more often than males. Probably, it can be explained by the fact that women worry about the daily problems more often than men. Moreover, females typically report their symptoms and visit specialists more eagerly than males. Moreover, although male and female patients reveal similar symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, the comorbidity patterns are significantly influenced by gender differences. For example, women are more likely to develop generalized anxiety disorder as comorbid condition to bipolar depression while men demonstrate the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder as comorbid to disorders related to substance use.
Race and Nationality
Race is an accepted factor that has an impact on the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder. Thus, Europeans or Whites are more exposed to this mental disorder than the representatives of the other races. For example, Africans, Asians, Native Americans, or Pacific Islanders experience generalized anxiety disorder less frequently than the others. Nevertheless, in the United States, African Americans are considered to be the group that is most affected by this disorder. Moreover, the citizens of the developed countries are more likely to observe generalized anxiety disorder than the citizens from nondeveloped countries. However, it can partially be caused by the lower level of diagnosing in less developed countries.
Culture
Culture can be also included as a determining factor for the development of generalized anxiety disorder. It can be explained by the fact that the cultural background of a person has a significant impact on his or her life experiences and the way of expressing emotions. The concepts of ethnopsychology and ethnophysiology can be reviewed to identify the ways every culture treats the functions of body and mind. Although the direct comparison of generalized anxiety disorder is complicated due to the differences in contexts, some peculiarities can be singled out. Thus, in the context of the United States, Asian Americans are less subject to this mental disorder while African Americans demonstrate the highest rates of generalized anxiety disorder prevalence among the national minorities. At the same time, White Americans are more subject to developing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder than any of the national minority groups. Such division can probably have sociopolitical and historical roots.
Environment
Unfavorable environmental factors also can increase the risk of generalized anxiety disorder. Thus, stressful events of different nature can contribute to the development of this mental problem. However, environmental factors are not considered significant enough to influence the diagnosis.