The Association Between Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom Severity and Comorbid Health Conditions Among the US General Adult Population
Author(s)
Erin Ferries, MPH, PhD1, Susan Suponcic, BA, MA, MSc, PhD2, Derek Louie, PharmD, MS1, Kyla Finlayson, MS3, Vicky W. Li, MPH3, Phong Duong, BSc, PharmD1, Daniel R. Karlin, MD, MA1.
1MindMed, New York, NY, USA, 2Value & Access Advisors, LLC, St Petersburg, FL, USA, 3Oracle Life Sciences, Austin, TX, USA.
1MindMed, New York, NY, USA, 2Value & Access Advisors, LLC, St Petersburg, FL, USA, 3Oracle Life Sciences, Austin, TX, USA.
OBJECTIVES: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) may contribute to or exacerbate other medical conditions. We aimed to estimate the association between GAD symptom severity and the likelihood of having comorbidities.
METHODS: Self-reported data from the 2022 US National Health and Wellness Survey, a cross-sectional, nationally-representative, online survey, were analyzed. US adults (aged >/=18 years) were categorized into subgroups: control (no GAD diagnosis, GAD-7 score <10) or diagnosed GAD (GAD diagnosis) with symptom severity of no/minimal (GAD-7 score </=4), mild (5-9), moderate (10-14), or severe (>/=15). GAD subgroups were compared using binary logistic regression models (reference group: control). The covariates adjusted for demographics and health characteristics; the dependent variables included 10 common comorbidities/comorbidity types (depression, diabetes, cancer, etc.).
RESULTS: Of 43,472 adults included in analyses, 88.8%, 2.2%, 3.5%, 2.8%, and 2.7% were classified as control, GAD with no/minimal, mild, moderate, and severe subgroups, respectively. Overall, pain (24.6%) and cardiovascular (21.4%) conditions were most often reported; diagnosed depression was reported by 11.4% (control) and 79.9% (any diagnosed GAD). Across all severity levels, GAD was associated with significantly higher odds (all, p<0.001) of having each comorbidity/comorbidity type examined than the control reference group, except for cancer, where the no/minimal diagnosed GAD subgroup did not significantly differ from the control reference group (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.18, 95% confidence interval: 0.94-1.41). Increasing GAD severity had strong associations with greater risk of depression, other mental health conditions, sleep disorders, and pain conditions, with ORs for no/minimal to severe GAD subgroups ranging from 10.98-50.25, 11.94-40.90, 4.01-10.17, and 2.51-5.85, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: GAD was associated with a higher likelihood of having a wide array of health conditions, relative to the control reference group. The likelihood of having comorbidities increased with greater symptom severity, suggesting that reducing GAD symptoms might lower the risk of developing other health conditions.
METHODS: Self-reported data from the 2022 US National Health and Wellness Survey, a cross-sectional, nationally-representative, online survey, were analyzed. US adults (aged >/=18 years) were categorized into subgroups: control (no GAD diagnosis, GAD-7 score <10) or diagnosed GAD (GAD diagnosis) with symptom severity of no/minimal (GAD-7 score </=4), mild (5-9), moderate (10-14), or severe (>/=15). GAD subgroups were compared using binary logistic regression models (reference group: control). The covariates adjusted for demographics and health characteristics; the dependent variables included 10 common comorbidities/comorbidity types (depression, diabetes, cancer, etc.).
RESULTS: Of 43,472 adults included in analyses, 88.8%, 2.2%, 3.5%, 2.8%, and 2.7% were classified as control, GAD with no/minimal, mild, moderate, and severe subgroups, respectively. Overall, pain (24.6%) and cardiovascular (21.4%) conditions were most often reported; diagnosed depression was reported by 11.4% (control) and 79.9% (any diagnosed GAD). Across all severity levels, GAD was associated with significantly higher odds (all, p<0.001) of having each comorbidity/comorbidity type examined than the control reference group, except for cancer, where the no/minimal diagnosed GAD subgroup did not significantly differ from the control reference group (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.18, 95% confidence interval: 0.94-1.41). Increasing GAD severity had strong associations with greater risk of depression, other mental health conditions, sleep disorders, and pain conditions, with ORs for no/minimal to severe GAD subgroups ranging from 10.98-50.25, 11.94-40.90, 4.01-10.17, and 2.51-5.85, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: GAD was associated with a higher likelihood of having a wide array of health conditions, relative to the control reference group. The likelihood of having comorbidities increased with greater symptom severity, suggesting that reducing GAD symptoms might lower the risk of developing other health conditions.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
EPH227
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health
Topic Subcategory
Public Health
Disease
Mental Health (including addition), No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas