Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2xdlg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-15T16:05:59.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Prevalence of anxiety disorders in community dwelling older adults in Hong Kong

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2016

Ada Wai Tung Fung ,
Wai-Chi Chan ,
Corine Sau-Man Wong ,
Eric Yu-Hai Chen ,
Roger Man-Kin Ng ,
Edwin Ho-Ming Lee ,
Wing-Chung Chang ,
Se-Fong Hung ,
Eric Fuk-Chi Cheung  and
Pak-Chung Sham
...Show all authors
Ada Wai Tung Fung*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Wai-Chi Chan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Corine Sau-Man Wong
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Eric Yu-Hai Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Roger Man-Kin Ng
Affiliation:
Kowloon Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China
Edwin Ho-Ming Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Wing-Chung Chang
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Se-Fong Hung
Affiliation:
Kwai Chung Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China
Eric Fuk-Chi Cheung
Affiliation:
Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China
Pak-Chung Sham
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Helen Fung-Kum Chiu
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Ming Lam
Affiliation:
Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China
Tin-Po Chiang
Affiliation:
Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China
Jim van Os
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
Joseph Tak-Fai Lau
Affiliation:
Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Glyn Lewis
Affiliation:
Academic Unit of Psychiatry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Paul Bebbington
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health Sciences, University College London, London, UK
Linda Chiu Wa Lam
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
The Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey Team
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Ada Wai Tung Fung, Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China. Phone: +852 26076045; Fax: +852 26675464. Email: ada_fung@cuhk.edu.hk.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

Anxiety disorders are prevalent yet under-recognized in late life. We examined the prevalence of anxiety disorders in a representative sample of community dwelling older adults in Hong Kong.

Method:

Data on 1,158 non-demented respondents aged 60–75 years were extracted from the Hong Kong Mental Morbidity survey (HKMMS). Anxiety was assessed with the revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R).

Result:

One hundred and thirty-seven respondents (11.9%, 95% CI = 10–13.7%) had common mental disorders with a CIS-R score of 12 or above. 8% (95% CI = 6.5–9.6%) had anxiety, 2.2% (95% CI = 1.3–3%) had an anxiety disorder comorbid with depressive disorder, and 1.7% (95% CI = 1–2.5%) had depression. Anxious individuals were more likely to be females (χ2 = 25.3, p < 0.001), had higher chronic physical burden (t = −9.3, p < 0.001), lower SF-12 physical functioning score (t = 9.2, p < 0.001), and poorer delayed recall (t = 2.3, p = 0.022). The risk of anxiety was higher for females (OR 2.8, 95% C.I. 1.7–4.6, p < 0.001) and those with physical illnesses (OR 1.4, 95% C.I. 1.3–1.6, p < 0.001). The risk of anxiety disorders increased in those with disorders of cardiovascular (OR 1.9, 95% C.I. 1.2–2.9, p = 0.003), musculoskeletal (OR 2.0, 95% C.I. 1.5–2.7, p < 0.001), and genitourinary system (OR 2.0, 95% C.I. 1.3–3.2, p = 0.002).

Conclusions:

The prevalence of anxiety disorders in Hong Kong older population was 8%. Female gender and those with poor physical health were at a greater risk of developing anxiety disorders. Our findings also suggested potential risk for early sign of memory impairment in cognitively healthy individuals with anxiety disorders.

Keywords

prevalenceanxiety disorderscommunityolder adultsmemorycognitive functionearly signmental health
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , February 2017 , pp. 259 - 267
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aziz, R. and Steffens, D. C. (2013). What are the causes of late-life depression? The Psychiatric Clinics of North American, 36, 497–516. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2013.08.001.Google Scholar
Beekman, A. T. F. et al. (1998). Anxiety disorders in later life: a report from the longitudinal aging study Amsterdam. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 13, 717–726.Google Scholar
Bryant, C., Jackson, H. and Ames, D. (2008). The prevalence of anxiety in older adults: methodological issues and a review of the literature. Journal of Affective Disorders, 109, 233–250. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2007.11.008.Google Scholar
Chiu, H. F., Lee, H. C., Chung, W. S. and Kwong, P. K. (1994). Reliability and validity of the Cantonese version of the mini-mental state examination - a preliminary study. Journal of Hong Kong College Psychiatry, 4, 25–28. doi:10.1017/S1041610209008588.Google Scholar
de Beurs, E., Beekman, A. T., van Balkom, A. J., Deeg, D. J., van Dyck, R. and van Tilburg, W. (1999). Consequences of anxiety in older persons: its effect on disability, well-being and use of health services. Psychological Medicine, 29, 583–593. doi: 10.1017/S0033291799008351.Google Scholar
DeLuca, A. K. et al. (2005). Comorbid anxiety disorder in late life depression: association with memory decline over four years. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20, 848–854.Google Scholar
Forsell, Y. and Winblad, B. (1997). Anxiety disorders in non-demented and demented elderly patients: prevalence and correlates. Journal of Neurology, 62, 294–295. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2008.02.008.Google Scholar
Gum, A. M., King-Kallimanis, B. and Kohn, R. (2009). Prevalence of mood, anxiety, and substance-abuse disorders for older Americans in the national comorbidity survey replication. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 17, 769–781. doi: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181ad4f5a.Google Scholar
Himmelfarb, S. and Murrell, S. A. (1984). The prevalence and correlates of anxiety symptoms in older adults. The Journal of Psychology, 116, 159–167. doi: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e318202bc62.Google Scholar
Hong Kong Census and Statistic Department. (2012). Demographic trends in Hong Kong 1981–2011. Hong Kong: Census and Statistics Department.Google Scholar
Huffman, J. C., Smith, F. A., Blais, M. A., Januzzi, J. L. and Fricchione, G. L. (2008). Anxiety, independent of depressive symptoms, is associated with in hospital cardiac complications after acute myocardial infarction. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 65, 557–563. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.08.001.Google Scholar
Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R. and Walters, E. E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 593–602. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593.Google Scholar
Kessler, R. C., Brown, R. L. and Broman, C. L. (1981). Sex differences in psychiatric help seeking: evidence from four large-scale surveys. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, 49–64.Google Scholar
Kubzansky, L. D., Kawachi, I., Spiro, A. III, Weiss, S. T., Vokonas, P. S. and Sparrow, D. (1997). Is worrying bad for your heart? A prospective study of worry and coronary heart disease in the normative aging study. Circulation, 95, 818–824. doi: 10.1161/01.Google Scholar
Lam, C. L., Tse, E. Y. and Gandek, B. (2005). Is the standard SF-12 health survey valid and equivalent for a Chinese population? Quality of Life Research, 14, 539–547. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11136-004-0704-3.Google Scholar
Lam, L. C. W. et al. (2014). The Hong Kong mental morbidity survey: background and study design. East Asian Archives of Psychiatry, 24, 30–36.Google Scholar
Lam, L. C. et al. (2015). Prevalence, psychosocial correlates and service utilization of depressive and anxiety disorders in Hong Kong: the Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey (HKMMS). Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 50, 1379–1388. doi: 10.1007/s00127/s00127-015-1014-5.Google Scholar
Lewis, G., Pelosi, A. J., Araya, R. and Dunn, G. (1992). Measuring psychiatric disorder in the community: a standardized assessment for use by lay interviewers. Psychological Medicine, 22, 465–486. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.06.001.Google Scholar
Mantella, R. C. et al. (2007). Cognitive impairment in late-life generalized anxiety disorder. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 15, 673–679.Google Scholar
Parmelee, P. A., Thuras, P. D., Katz, I. R. and Lawton, M. P. (1995). Validation of the cumulative illness rating scale in a geriatric residential population. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 43, 130–137. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1995.tb06377.x.Google Scholar
Pietrzak, R. H. et al. (2015). Amyloid-β, anxiety, and cognitive decline in preclinical Alzheimer disease a multicenter, prospective cohort study. JAMA Psychiatry, Published online. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.2476.Google Scholar
Regier, D. A. et al. (1988). One-month prevalence of mental disorders in the United States: based on five epidemiologic catchment area sites. Archives of General Psychiatry, 45, 977–986. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1993.tb03411.x.Google Scholar
Schaub, R. T. and Linden, M. (2000). Anxiety and anxiety disorders in the old and very old-results from the Berlin Aging Study (BASE). Comprehensive Psychiatry, 41, 48–54. doi: 10.1016/S0010-440X(00)80008-5.Google Scholar
Senaratne, R., Van Ameringen, M., Mancini, C. and Patterson, B. (2010).The burden of anxiety disorders on the family. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 198, 876–880. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181fe7450.Google Scholar
Sinoff, G. and Werner, P. (2003). Anxiety disorder and accompanying subjective memory loss in the elderly as a predictor of future cognitive decline. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18, 951–959.Google Scholar
Strik, J. L. M. H., Denollet, J., Lousberg, R. and Honig, A. (2003). Comparing symptoms of depression and anxiety as predictors of cardiac events and increased health care consumption after myocardial infarction. Journal of American College of Cardiology, 42, 1801–1807. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2003.07.007.Google Scholar
van Hout, H. P. et al. (2004). Anxiety and the risk of death in older men and women. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 185, 399–404. doi: 10.1192/bjp.185.5.399.Google Scholar
Wetherell, J. L., Reynolds, C. A., Gatz, M. and Pedersen, N. L. (2002). Anxiety, cognitive performance, and cognitive decline in normal aging. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57, 246–255.Google Scholar
Wolitzky-Taylor, K. B., Castriotta, N., Lenze, E. J., Stanley, M. A. and Craske, M. G. (2010). Anxiety disorders in older adults: a comprehensive review. Depression and Anxiety, 27, 190–211. doi: 10.1002/da.20653.Google Scholar