COMPARISON OF ANXIETY LEVELS AMONG YOUTH: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY AT THE INSTITUTE OF PSYCHIATRY, LIAQUAT UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES, HYDERABAD

Abstract

Background: Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health problems among adolescents and young people. Impacts emotional health, learning, social interactions and life quality. The increased association of academic pressure, unemployment, financial difficulties and psychosocial stress with increased anxiety among this age group implies the need for understanding the severity of anxiety that exists across each age group when planning mental health services. Objective: The aim of the study was to compare anxiety levels in the youth attending the Institute of Psychiatry, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Hyderabad and the distribution of anxiety severity within the age groups. Methods: Descriptive cross sectional study was conducted on 100 respondents aged 13 – 30 years, using convenience sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale was used to assess anxiety. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26 and the frequencies and percentages were used to summarize anxiety severity. Results: Of the 100 participants, 43% had severe anxiety, 20% moderate, 21% mild and 16% minimal anxiety. Severe anxiety was the most common category in every age group: 38.5% at 13–18 years, 44.1% at 19–24 years and 42.9% at 25–30 years. Conclusion: A high proportion of the young people in this sample had severe anxiety symptoms, and this was seen in all three age groups. Awareness programmes and counselling on mental health need to be introduced early in the lives of young people.