Recognition of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Boys and Girls: Difference between Health-Care Professionals

Abstract

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a highly common disorder in children and adolescents, and it impairs their daily lives. One of few studies has shown that GAD is poorly recognized. While, early recognition by health-care professionals (HCPs) is crucial since absence of a diagnosis and treatment can dramatically increase the likelihood of GAD becoming chronic. Little is known about the effect of gender on recognition of GAD, let alone about the influence of HCPs. This study is an initial attempt to investigate whether some types of HCPs are better at recognizing GAD than others. HCPs (n=408) evaluated a total of 816 vignettes describing children and adolescents with symptoms of GAD. A logistic regression analysis was conducted. Findings show that GAD is, indeed, poorly recognized by HCPs. The results did not support the expectation that girls with GAD were better recognized than boys. However, the findings provide evidence for differences in recognition between HCPs. Psychologists and psychiatrists were found to be better in recognizing GAD than pedagogues, paediatricians, teacher/mentors and social workers. This implies that children’s symptoms of GAD may be easier overlooked if they are evaluated by any other types of HCPs than a psychologist or psychiatrist. Type of HCP did not moderate the relationship between a child’s gender and recognition. The findings implicate that HCPs should get more education and trainings about symptoms of GAD, so that they improve their recognition of GAD in children and adolescents.