Prevalence of Anxiety Disorders Among in-school Adolescents in Urban and Rural Areas of Anambra State-a Comparative Study

Abstract Background: Previous studies have reported that anxiety disorder manifestations differ in diverse settings. Objective: To determine and compare the prevalence of anxiety disorders among in-school adolescents in urban and rural areas of Anambra State. Methods: A total of 1187 in-school adolescents were recruited using a multi-stage sampling technique. The study instrument was an interviewer-administered pretested questionnaire adopted from General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7). Data were analyzed with the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Result: One hundred and twenty of the participants out of the 1187 (10.1%) were found to be with anxiety disorders. The prevalence of anxiety revealed that urban participants had a higher prevalence compared to their rural counterparts (11% vs 8.8%), while females had a higher prevalence compared to the males in the ratio of 3:2 (or 12% vs 8%). The prevalence of anxiety disorders among females was higher than that of males even when compared based on a rural and urban settings. When all other variables are held constant, urban participants were found to have a 50% higher chance of being identified with anxiety disorders compared to their rural participants (OR=1.500, C.I.:1.002-2.246, p=0.049). Conclusion: Anxiety disorder was found in 10% of the participants. The females have a higher propensity to exhibit anxiety disorder than the males. Anxiety status affects how adolescents view their general health.