Socioeconomic and Health Care Demands of Anxiety Disorders

This research paper examines the socioeconomic and healthcare demands of common anxiety disorders, specifically isolating Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and seeks to determine which socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on the prevalence of these disorders and may widen the treatment gap and socioeconomic burden associated with GAD with the use of surveys and data analysis. Anxiety disorders can disrupt a person’s way of life by impacting their relationships with others, their sleep patterns, eating habits, self-confidence and ability to complete daily tasks at work or school (Green & Benzeval, 2013). A survey was distributed across various regions in the United States through a form utilizing digital platforms and various social media platforms. An ANOVA test was run to analyze different factors such as current income level, race, gender, education level, living situation, financial independence, and employment which characterize different socioeconomic groups; this assessed the correlation to General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and healthcare access to treatment. The results depicted income as a defining factor which correlates with economic burdens faced due to anxiety disorders and contributes to economic barriers that make it harder to seek mental health care. There is a lack of correlation between General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and the variable of race/ethnicity, leading to the conclusion that race does not affect the economic barriers and burdens faced due to anxiety disorder. Further implications of this study include a deeper analysis of how families of different socioeconomic status spend money on mental health compared to other illnesses, such as colds, cancers, viruses etc