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Mood and anxiety disorders across the adult lifespan: a European perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2013

R. D. McDowell*
Affiliation:
Institute of Nursing & Health Research, University of Ulster, Coleraine, N. Ireland
A. Ryan
Affiliation:
Institute of Nursing & Health Research, University of Ulster, Coleraine, N. Ireland
B. P. Bunting
Affiliation:
Psychology Research Institute, University of Ulster, Londonderry, N. Ireland
S. M. O'Neill
Affiliation:
Psychology Research Institute, University of Ulster, Londonderry, N. Ireland
J. Alonso
Affiliation:
Health Services Research Unit, IMIM-Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain; Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
R. Bruffaerts
Affiliation:
Universitair Psychiatrisch Centrum – KU Leuven (UPC-KUL), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
R. de Graaf
Affiliation:
Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Utrecht, the Netherlands
S. Florescu
Affiliation:
National School of Public Health, Management and Professional Development, Bucharest, Romania
G. Vilagut
Affiliation:
Health Services Research Unit, IMIM-Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
J. M. C. de Almeida
Affiliation:
Departamento de Saúde Mental, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Portugal
G. de Girolamo
Affiliation:
IRCCS Centro S. Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Italy
J. M. Haro
Affiliation:
Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Universitat de Barcelona, CIBER en Salud Mental, Spain
H. Hinkov
Affiliation:
National Center for Public Health Protection, Bulgaria
V. Kovess-Masfety
Affiliation:
EHESP, EA4069, Université Paris Descartes, SPC France
H. Matschinger
Affiliation:
University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
T. Tomov
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Alexandrovsaka Hospital, Bulgaria
*
*Address for correspondence: Mr R. D. McDowell, Institute of Nursing and Health Research, School of Nursing, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, UK. (Email: McDowell-R3@email.ulster.ac.uk)

Abstract

Background

The World Mental Health Survey Initiative (WMHSI) has advanced our understanding of mental disorders by providing data suitable for analysis across many countries. However, these data have not yet been fully explored from a cross-national lifespan perspective. In particular, there is a shortage of research on the relationship between mood and anxiety disorders and age across countries. In this study we used multigroup methods to model the distribution of 12-month DSM-IV/CIDI mood and anxiety disorders across the adult lifespan in relation to determinants of mental health in 10 European Union (EU) countries.

Method

Logistic regression was used to model the odds of any mood or any anxiety disorder as a function of age, gender, marital status, urbanicity and employment using a multigroup approach (n = 35500). This allowed for the testing of specific lifespan hypotheses across participating countries.

Results

No simple geographical pattern exists with which to describe the relationship between 12-month prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders and age. Of the adults sampled, very few aged ⩾80 years met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for these disorders. The associations between these disorders and key sociodemographic variables were relatively homogeneous across countries after adjusting for age.

Conclusions

Further research is required to confirm that there are indeed stages in the lifespan where the reported prevalence of mental disorders is low, such as among younger adults in the East and older adults in the West. This project illustrates the difficulties in conducting research among different age groups simultaneously.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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