Generalized anxiety disorder and entry into marriage or a marriage-like relationship

K. Lira Yoon*, Richard E. Zinbarg

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that individuals with generalized anxiety disorder report significantly higher levels of marital distress and are at a greater risk for divorce than those without generalized anxiety disorder. Studies also showed that relationship difficulties among those with generalized anxiety disorder predict poor treatment response and long-term outcome. In this study, the relation between a lifetime diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder and marital history was examined with the data from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). Respondents were grouped into those who have no mental disorder, those who have only generalized anxiety disorder, and those who have generalized anxiety disorder and a lifetime history of at least one of the 16 DSM-III-R diagnoses assessed in the NCS. Generalized anxiety disorder was significantly associated with the likelihood of entry into a marriage-like relationship. The results support the continued investigation into the association between couple functioning and the onset, course, and treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, and suggest that couples intervention could be an untapped resource for generalized anxiety disorder treatment.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)955-965
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Anxiety Disorders
Volume21
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 2007

Funding

Preparation of this article was supported by the Patricia M Nielsen Research Chair of the Family Institute at Northwestern University. The data reported herein come from the NCS. The NCS is a collaborative epidemiologic investigation of the prevalence, causes, and consequences of psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity in the United States supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (grants R01 MH46376, R01 MH49098, and R01 MH52861), with supplemental support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda (through a supplement to grant MH46376) and supplement grant 90135190 from the W.T. Grant Foundation, New York, NY (Dr. Kessler, principal investigator).

Keywords

  • Generalized anxiety disorder
  • Marriage
  • National Comorbidity Survey

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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