Prevalence and associations of anxiety disorders in adults with intellectual disabilities.
Expect anxiety in about 4% of adults with ID—screen when employment or life events shift.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Hattier et al. (2011) asked 1,023 adults with intellectual disability about their mental health. They used a short survey to see who met the rules for an anxiety disorder. They also asked about jobs and recent life events like moves or losses.
What they found
About four in every 100 adults with ID had an anxiety disorder right now. People without jobs and people who had just faced a big life change were more likely to be anxious.
How this fits with other research
Roane et al. (2001) looked at the same group earlier and found a much higher rate of any mental illness. Their wider lens caught more cases, while Hattier et al. (2011) zoomed in only on anxiety.
Porter et al. (2008) and Tsakanikos et al. (2006) seem to clash with the new numbers. Both found that adding autism to ID did not raise psychiatric risk. The gap closes when you see that those studies used doctor charts and matched groups, while Hattier et al. (2011) used a survey of the whole ID pool.
Costa et al. (2020) and AHand et al. (2020) extend the finding. They show that once you spot anxiety, you can treat it even in severe cases and that intolerance of uncertainty may be the engine driving the symptoms.
Why it matters
You now have a quick benchmark: expect roughly one anxious client in every 25 adults with ID. Ask about job loss, moves, or bereavements during intake. If those stressors are present, screen for anxiety even when no one mentions worry.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Anxiety disorders are known to be common in the general population. Previous studies with adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs) report a prevalence of general anxiety disorder ranging from <2% to 17.4%. Little is known about associated factors in this population. This study investigates point prevalence of anxiety disorders and determines the factors independently associated with them. METHODS: Information was collected with 1023 adults with IDs who participated in a large-scale, population-based study. All had a comprehensive physical and mental health assessment. The point prevalence of anxiety disorders according to different diagnostic criteria was determined, as were independently associated factors by using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Three point eight per cent (95% CI=2.7-5.2%) of the cohort had an anxiety disorder at the time of assessment. Generalised anxiety disorder was the most common (1.7%), then agoraphobia (0.7%). Factors independently associated with having an anxiety disorder were not having any daytime employment, and having a recent history of life events. Having previously been a long-term hospital resident was independently associated with not having an anxiety disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety disorders are common in the ID population. At times of significant life events, it might be sensible for carers to consider proactively providing additional support and being vigilant to seek early health-care interventions should there be any suggestion of emerging mental ill-health. The study further highlights the range of mental ill-health that is experienced by the population with IDs, and therefore the need for appropriate care, supports and development of effective interventions.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2011 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01360.x