Anxiety Disorders are Associated with Low Socioeconomic Status in Women but Not in Men

Objectives We investigated to what extent the lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders relates to negative economic changes, taking important lifestyle factors and unexpected life events into consideration. Methods We included 3,695 participants recruited in the city of Lausanne (Switzerland), from the population-based CoLaus/PsyCoLaus study. The association between anxiety disorders, lifestyle factors, and life events related to income was investigated using binary logistic regression analyses correcting for demographic and clinical confounders. Results Compared with men, women with anxiety disorders showed a significantly lower socioeconomic status (Mann-Whitney U = 56,318; p < .001) and reported a higher negative impact of substantial reduction of income (Mann-Whitney U = 68,531; p = .024). When performing adjusted analyses, low socioeconomic status (odd ratio, 0.87; p = .001) and negative impact of reduction of income (odd ratio, 1.01; p = .004) were associated significantly with anxiety disorders in women but not in men. Conclusion Our results suggest that anxiety disorders aggravate already existing gender differences in economic conditions, and that women with anxiety need additional support to attain socioeconomic security similar to that of men.