Abstract
BackgroundAnxiety disorders are common among children and adolescents. However, there is a paucity of up-to-date data on the prevalence and correlates of anxiety-related disorders among children and adolescents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).MethodsWe conducted a cross sectional study to determine the prevalence of specific anxiety-related disorders (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, separation anxiety, social anxiety) in the UAE, and identify correlations between these disorders and adolescents’ demographic variables. Participants were 968 adolescents aged 13–18 years attending secondary schools across the UAE. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants. We collected demographic information and data about participants’ anxiety levels. Anxiety was assessed using the Arabic and English versions of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders scale. Univariate analyses (independent sample t-tests and analysis of variance) were performed to evaluate factors affecting participants’ anxiety scores. Chi-square tests were used to compare factors associated with anxiety disorders.ResultsParticipants’ mean age was 16 ± 1.8 years, and 65.8% were female. The overall prevalence of anxiety disorders was 28%, with this being significantly higher in girls (33.6%) than boys (17.2%) (p < 0.0001). Participants aged < 16 years had higher generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, and social anxiety scores compared with those aged ≥16 years (p ≤ 0.05). Those from households with a maid had significantly higher generalized anxiety, panic disorder, separation anxiety, and significant school avoidance scores than those without a maid (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, participants from middle and low economic backgrounds had higher separation anxiety scores compared with children from high economic backgrounds (p ≤ 0.05). The multivariate analysis showed the main associated factors with anxiety were gender (being female, p < 0.001) and caregiver (other than mother and father together, p < 0.001).ConclusionsWe found a high incidence of anxiety-related disorders among school-aged adolescents in the UAE, with girls being more affected than boys. This suggests that age-appropriate initiatives are urgently needed to reduce the high rate of anxiety-related disorders. It may also be necessary to further investigate the two main associated factors with anxiety identified in this study (being female and non-parental caregivers).
Highlights
Anxiety disorders are common among children and adolescents
We found a high incidence of anxiety-related disorders among school-aged adolescents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with girls being more affected than boys
This suggests that age-appropriate initiatives are urgently needed to reduce the high rate of anxiety-related disorders
Summary
There is a paucity of upto-date data on the prevalence and correlates of anxiety-related disorders among children and adolescents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Anxiety is a normal human emotion characterized by various responses (e.g., behavioral, affective, and cognitive) to perceived threat [1]. Anxiety disorders are common among children and adolescents [1, 3, 4]. Reported rates of anxiety among children and adolescents were 31.9% in the United States (age: 13–18 years) [5], 26.41% in Spain (age: 8–17 years) [6], 22.5% in Chile (age: 4–18 years) [7], 21.9% in Iran [4], and 36.7% in India (secondary school children) [8]. Anxiety disorders that remain undetected and untreated in childhood and adolescence may affect well-being in adulthood, which challenges earlier views that high levels of anxiety are developmentally normal [9, 10]
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