Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan;57(1):127-137.
doi: 10.1007/s00127-021-02122-9. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Time trends and disparities in anxiety among adolescents, 2012-2018

Katharine B Parodi  1 , Melissa K Holt  2 , Jennifer Greif Green  1 , Michelle V Porche  1 , Brian Koenig  3 , Ziming Xuan  4
Affiliations

Time trends and disparities in anxiety among adolescents, 2012-2018

Katharine B Parodi et al. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: Prior studies have been inconclusive in documenting whether the prevalence of adolescent anxiety is increasing, given sampling and measurement limitations. This study adds new information on recent time trends in anxiety prevalence, specifically investigating trends among previously unexamined sociodemographic subgroups.

Methods: Weighted data of 37,360 youth respondents (51.1% female, 71.8% White, 91.3% heterosexual, 99.2% cisgender) from the 2012-2018 Dane County Youth Assessment, a county-wide survey administered to youth in participating school districts, were analyzed to estimate time trends in anxiety prevalence among the whole sample and by sociodemographic subgroups.

Results: The prevalence of youth meeting anxiety-screening criteria increased from 34.1% (95% CI 33.4-34.9) in 2012 to 44% (95% CI 43.2-44.7) in 2018 (OR for trend = 1.07, P for trend < 0.001). The trend remained significant after adjusting for known confounds (AOR for trend = 1.07, P for trend < 0.001). Anxiety increased significantly for several subgroups and widening disparities were documented among females relative to males (P < 0.001), and sexual minority youth relative to heterosexual youth (P = 0.003). In addition, Black youth did not increase at the same swift rate as White youth over the study period (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: This study reports recent data on anxiety time trends and finds that among a geographically representative sample of adolescents, anxiety prevalence is rising. Findings provide new evidence documenting increased anxiety prevalence among sexual minority youth relative to their peers. Results highlight the need to bolster public health interventions focused on adolescent mental health, with tailored interventions for vulnerable groups.

Keywords: Adolescence; Anxiety; Epidemiology; Health disparity; Time trend.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

On behalf of all the authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Time trend of past-month anxiety symptoms for a all adolescent participants, b by grade level, c by sex, d by race/ethnicity, e by sexual orientation, f by gender identity. DCYA Dane County Youth Assessment
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kessler RC, Avenevoli S, Costello EJ, et al. Prevalence, persistence, and sociodemographic correlates of DSM-IV disorders in the National comorbidity survey replication adolescent supplement. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012;69(4):372–379. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.160. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Merikangas KR, He J, Burstein M, et al. Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A) J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010;49(10):980–989. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mojtabai R, Stuart EA, Hwang I, Eaton WW, Sampson N, Kessler RC. Long-term effects of mental disorders on educational attainment in the National Comorbidity Survey ten-year follow-up. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2015;50(10):1577–1591. doi: 10.1007/s00127-015-1083-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Essau CA, Lewinsohn PM, Olaya B, Seeley JR. Anxiety disorders in adolescents and psychosocial outcomes at age 30. J Affect Disord. 2014;163(C):125–132. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2013.12.033. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lopez B, Turner RJ, Saavedra LM. Anxiety and risk for substance dependence among late adolescents/young adults. J Anxiety Disord. 2005;19(3):275–294. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2004.03.001. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources