Persistence, Impairment, Disability and Unmet Treatment of Lifetime and 12-Month Anxiety Disorders in Black Men and Women, 50 Years of Age and Older.

Jones AL, Rafferty J, Cochran SD, Abelson J, Mays VM. Persistence, Impairment, Disability and Unmet Treatment of Lifetime and 12-Month Anxiety Disorders in Black Men and Women, 50 Years of Age and Older. Journal of aging and health. 2022 Jun 1; 34(3):378-389.

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• CDA 19-233 – Quality of Mental Health Services for Homeless Veterans in Primary Care Settings

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Abstract:

To examine anxiety disorders in aging Black adults. Using nationally representative data from the National Survey of American Life, we estimated lifetime/12-month prevalence of anxiety disorders in Black men and women, age 50+ ( = 1561). Disorder-specific persistence and severity, functional impairment, and mental health service utilization were investigated using multivariate regressions. Black men and women who met criteria for anxiety disorders (lifetime prevalence = 12.4%/18.3% in men/women) also demonstrated persistent disorders (percent meeting criteria = 40.3%-61.2%). Those with a 12-month anxiety disorder (6.2%/10.5% of men/women) typically reported severe task interference (38.3%-85.7%). Those with any 12-month anxiety disorder, compared to those without, experienced greater impairment in days out of role, work, family burden, cognition and, in women, mobility ('s < .05). Only 47.0%/65.2% of Black men/women with any lifetime anxiety disorder used mental health services. Despite low prevalence, older Blacks with anxiety disorders experience substantial mental health burden in middle age and later.