Impairment and quality of life in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder
Open accessAbstract
Once considered to be a disorder associated with minimal impairment, the link between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and impairment across a broad constellation of domains is now well established. However, less is known about how comorbidity affects these relationships or how GAD impacts one's perceived life satisfaction or quality of life. To investigate these questions, data from 52 treatment-seeking individuals with GAD (33 with comorbid Axis I diagnoses) were compared to data from 55 nonanxious controls. Individuals with GAD reported more impairment at work and in their social functioning than they did with home and family responsibilities. They also reported lower quality of life than nonanxious controls, particularly in regard to self-esteem, goals and values, money, work, play, learning, creativity, friends, and relatives. Trait worry was positively correlated with impairment and inversely related to life satisfaction within the clinical sample. Individuals with GAD, with and without comorbid Axis I diagnoses, showed few differences on measures of impairment (differing only on impairment in social functioning). However, individuals with GAD and comorbid disorders perceived their lives as less satisfying than did individuals with GAD without comorbid diagnoses.
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People with GAD report lower life satisfaction than non-anxious controls, with particular deficits in areas such as self-esteem, values, finances, work, recreation, learning, creativity, social relationships, and family.
“Individuals with GAD report significantly less satisfaction with their quality of life relative to non-anxious controls[11] particularly in the domains of self-esteem, goals and values, money, work, play, learning, creativity, friends and relatives.”
From The role of values-consistent behavior in generalized anxiety disorder. (2011) · cites this paper as [11]
GAD is associated with diminished quality of life.
“These findings contribute to the literature demonstrating the significant impairments in quality of life reported by those with GAD.[9, 11, 12,14, 42]”
From The role of values-consistent behavior in generalized anxiety disorder. (2011) · cites this paper as [11]
The diminished quality of life reported by individuals with GAD may be accounted for by their living less consistently with their values.
“This may account for the diminished quality of life reported by those with GAD”
From Changes in proposed mechanisms of action during an acceptance-based behavior therapy for generalized anxiety disorder (2010) · cites this paper as Henning, Turk, Mennin, Fresco, & Heimberg, 2007
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“…are associated with maladaptive interpersonal functioning (e.g. being unassertive, intrusive; Przeworski et al ., 2011; Salzer et al ., 2011) and relationship problems (Henning et al ., 2007; Whisman et al ., 2000), which are associated with worse treatment outcomes (Malivoire et al ., 2020).”
- Authors
- Henning, E. R., Turk, C. L., Mennin, D. S., Fresco, D. M., & Heimberg, R. G.
- Affiliations
- Adult Anxiety Clinic of Temple (US)
- Washburn University (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Kent State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Heimberg, Richard G.
- Venue
- Depression and Anxiety
- Publisher
- Hindawi Limited
- Published
- 2007
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 342-349
- ISSN
- 1091-4269 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-6394
- OpenAlex
- W2168259152
- Semantic Scholar
- 5bce70cc1ecf6e11dea3b2a102d8ba41cec67fc9
- Cited by
- 189
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 6.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Depression and Anxiety (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- generalized anxiety disorder, functional disability, quality of life, life satisfaction, comorbidities, Axis I disorders, trait worry, social functioning, work impairment, self-esteem, treatment-seeking patients
- MeSH terms
- Activities of Daily Living, Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorder, Disability Evaluation, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Middle Aged, Personality Assessment, Phobic Disorders, Quality of Life, Role, Self Concept, Social Adjustment, Social Environment, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Comorbidity, Panic Disorder
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