A new study from Statistics Canada is relatively unique in that it studies the prevalence of anxiety disorders among older Canadians. The agency says where previous studies have focused predominantly on general populations, youth and on middle-aged Canadians between 45 and 64 years of age, there is limited research on anxiety disorders among older Canadians.
Entitled Anxiety disorders among older Canadians: Focus on Indigenous and racialized population groups, the report found six per cent of older Canadians on average reported an anxiety disorder diagnosis. Women were more likely than men to report having such a diagnosis – prevalence among the two groups was 7.5 per cent and 4.2 per cent, respectively. Prevalence was also higher among Indigenous people, for both men and women, but Indigenous males were found to have 1.5 times higher odds of having an anxiety disorder.
Conversely, they say racialized females were the least likely to report having anxiety disorders. “The stigma associated with reporting mental disorders is thought to be higher among racialized individuals and may contribute to the lower likelihood of anxiety disorder diagnosis among racialized populations,” the report states. “Findings of this study highlight the importance of considering Indigenous and racialized population groups as well as disaggregation by sex in examining anxiety disorders among older Canadians to inform screening, service provision and intervention programs.”
Older adults in lower income households had higher odds of experiencing anxiety when compared with those living in households with the highest incomes. “Both males and females in the lowest income households had 1.9 times the odds of anxiety compared with those in the highest income households,” they write. “Males and females in middle-income households had 1.3 times the odds of anxiety compared with those in the highest-income households.”
