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Social and psychological predictors of onset of anxiety disorders: results from a large prospective cohort study

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The vast majority of studies investigating the association between social and psychological factors and anxiety disorders have been cross-sectional, making it difficult to draw causal conclusions. The purpose of the study was to investigate in a prospective longitudinal study whether social and psychological factors are associated with the later risk of being admitted to a hospital and receive a diagnosis of anxiety disorders.

Method

The study population comprised 4,497 members of The Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort (CPC) who in 1993 answered a mailed questionnaire containing questions on a range of social and psychological factors. In 2007, the study population was linked to The Danish Hospital Discharge Register and the Danish Psychiatric Central Register to obtain information on registration with anxiety disorders. Multiple Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the risk of anxiety disorders according to social and psychological factors.

Results

A total of 5.3% of the study population had lifetime registration with an anxiety disorder diagnosis. The risk of admission for anxiety disorders was significantly associated with previous: discontentedness with partner-status, loneliness, self-rated low intelligence, not feeling part of a whole, unhappiness, low quality of life, and low meaningfulness. Estimates were adjusted for income and current diseases.

Conclusion

The present study demonstrated that in a population without previous registration with anxiety disorders, contentment with social relations and a range of beneficial psychological factors reduced the later risk of being hospitalized with anxiety disorders.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a research grant from the IMK Almene Fond. The Danish Quality of Life Survey was supported by grants from the 1991 Pharmacy Foundation, the Goodwill-fonden, the JL-Foundation, E. Danielsen and Wife’s Foundation, Emmerick Meyer’s Trust, the Frimodt-Heineken Foundation, the Hede Nielsen Family Foundation, Petrus Andersens Fond, Wholesaler C.P. Frederiksens Study Trust, Else & Mogens Wedell-Wedellsborg’s Foundation and IMK Almene Fond.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Programme on Lifestyle and Health, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Øster Farimagsgade 5 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Trine Flensborg-Madsen & Janne Tolstrup

  2. Danish Epidemiology Science Center, Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Holger Jelling Sørensen & Erik Lykke Mortensen

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Amager Hospital Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Holger Jelling Sørensen

  4. Department of Environmental Health, Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Erik Lykke Mortensen

Authors
  1. Trine Flensborg-Madsen
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  2. Janne Tolstrup
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  3. Holger Jelling Sørensen
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  4. Erik Lykke Mortensen
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Correspondence to Trine Flensborg-Madsen.

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Flensborg-Madsen, T., Tolstrup, J., Sørensen, H.J. et al. Social and psychological predictors of onset of anxiety disorders: results from a large prospective cohort study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47, 711–721 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0373-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0373-9

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