Five-year course of generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder and panic disorder with agoraphobia in a sample of Latino adults

Objective: It is vital to study the course of different disorders in minority populations, given the implications for culturally sensitive interventions. The current report is the first prospective, observational, longitudinal study of the 5-year course of anxiety disorders among Latinos. Method: Data are reported on 106 adult Latinos (mean age 35.89, SD = 10.39, 77% female) diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD, n = 70), social anxiety disorder (SAD, n = 64), or panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA, n = 46). Participants were interviewed with standardized clinical interviews at intake and annually over five years of follow-up. We calculated probabilities of recovery using standard survival analysis methods. Results: The five-year recovery rates in this study were 0.23 for GAD, 0.16 for SAD, 0.33 for PDA, and 0.59 for major depressive disorder (MDD). No consistent predictors for the course of anxiety disorders in this study were identified. Overall functioning in this sample, including social adjustment and life satisfaction, was low. Conclusions: The recovery rates for anxiety disorders in this Latino sample remained markedly low after 5 years. Although comparisons with prior longitudinal studies should be done with caution, these recovery rates are lower than in non-Latino white samples for GAD and SAD (but not for PDA). The clinical course of MDD in this sample, however, was similar to its course among non-Latino whites, invoking the question of what it is about the experience of anxiety disorders (but not MDD) among Latinos which makes them so debilitating and chronic. Our discussion includes a tentative reply to that question, including a call for more research on the effect of sociocultural variables on the course of anxiety disorders