The Effects of Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status on Anxiety Prevalence and Treatment

With the growing rise of anxiety disorders, psychosocial factors including ethnicity and socioeconomic status may be contributing to diagnostic disparities among different groups. The primary explanation for this trend has been income and ethnic differences. While previous research has followed the trends of income levels and mental health disorders, few studies have delved further into the influential nature of psychosocial factors as it relates specifically to anxiety. Rather, studies have focused on how psychosocial factors such as SES, mitigate mental health development overall. Data was collected to determine what role ethnicity, income, and parental marriage, play in the development of anxiety and stress, frequency of mental health visits, and equal access to healthcare. Students were asked to take a brief questionnaire assessing demographics, anxiety, and perceived stress levels. Higher income was associated with more anxiety, r = 0.243, p = 0.003, whereas there was no significant difference between ethnicity and symptom improvement, X² (3) = 1.6, p = 0.659. There was a significantly positive relationship between SES and treatment-seeking, r = 0.404, p = 0.022, while there was no relationship between ethnicity, parental marital status, and stress and anxiety, t (42) = 5.5, p = 0.23. These findings illustrate the need for equal education opportunities as well as equal access to healthcare. While there have been numerous studies assessing the impacts of ethnicity and SES on disease and illness, few studies have evaluated its effect specifically on anxiety development. Future researchers should focus on anxiety as it relates to socioeconomic differences