Gender differences in anxiety disorders symptoms

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution and differences in symptoms of anxiety disorders according to gender.Material and Method: A total of 201 psychiatric outpatients (141 females, 60 males) with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of anxiety disorder who have applied to university clinics within six months period are included in this study. All patients have undergone a detailed psychiatric interview during which sociodemographic data form, Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale were evaluated by the physician in charge. They also completed Beck Depression Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Rating Scale, , Panic Agoraphobia Rating Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for evaluation of relevant anxiety symptoms.Results: The female/male ratio in the sample was 2,35. Beck Depression Scale, Panic Agoraphobia Rating Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory severity scores were significantly higher in females than in males (p<0,05). Moreover Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale somatic complaints and depressed mood subscale scores were significantly higher in females in comparison to males (p<0,05). On the other hand severity of cardiac symptoms of panic disorder patients were significantly higher in males with respect to females (p<0,05). Dirt/contamination obsessions were the most common obsessions; while washing/cleaning compulsions were the most frequently observed compulsions in obsessive compulsive patients. Average number of comorbid disorders ranked highest in obsessive compulsive disorder patients in both genders.Conclusion: The results of this study has yielded the notion that the females are usually prone to lead more severe symptoms of the anxiety disorders. The necessity of comprehensive studies regarding gender differences in anxiety disorders is ever growing. Recognition of the gender differences in anxiety disorders will help clinician to keep vigil on comorbidity, symptom severity and diverse presentations of the disorder. Besides, convenient treatment interventions may be more readily applied.Keywords: anxiety disorders, gender, symptoms, distribution, differences.