Adults with Less Education Most Likely to Have a Past Year Anxiety Disorder – SAMHSA

Past year anxiety disorder among adults aged 18 or older, by education level: 2008 to 2012⁴
Note: Error bars visually represent the variability or uncertainty in the percentages.
Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive distress, fear, and avoidance. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health’s 2008 to 2012 Mental Health Surveillance Study (MHSS), an estimated 12.9 million adults aged 18 or older (5.7 percent) had one or more anxiety disorders in the past year.^1,2 This included 3.9 million adults who had less than a high school education, 3.3 million who were high school graduates, 2.8 million who had some college, and 3.0 million who had a college education or more. Adults with less than a high school education were more likely to have anxiety disorders than adults with more years of schooling (12.9 vs. 5.0 to 4.3 percent). Although the MHSS results cannot be used to determine whether anxiety stopped people from finishing high school, having an anxiety disorder can lower the odds of graduating from high school and the odds of attending college.³ Not finishing school can affect a person’s well-being and success in life.  
Treatment and prevention programs for anxiety can help people stay in or succeed in school. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides information on treating anxiety disorders: https://www.samhsa.gov/disorders/mental#anxiety.

1.    Karg, R. S., Bose, J., Batts, K. R., Forman-Hoffman, V. L., Liao, D., Hirsch, E., Pemberton, M. R., Colpe, L. J., & Hedden, S. L. (2014). CBHSQ Data Review: Past year mental disorders among adults in the United States: Results from the 2008-2012 Mental Health Surveillance Study. Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  https://www.samhsa.gov/data
2.    To meet criteria for an anxiety disorder, anxiety, fear, and/or avoidance must represent a change from typical functioning, and the anxiety-related problems must be accompanied by clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning.To meet criteria for an anxiety disorder, anxiety, fear, and/or avoidance must represent a change from typical functioning, and the anxiety-related problems must be accompanied by clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning.
3.    Mojtabai, R., Stuart, E. A., Hwang, I., Eaton, W. W., Sampson, N., & Kessler, R. C. (2015). Long-term effects of mental disorders on educational attainment in the National Comorbidity Survey ten-year follow-up. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 50, 1577-1591.
4.    The difference between the following categories is statistically significant at the .05 level: less than a high school education versus high school graduate, less than a high school education versus some college, and less than a high school education versus college graduate or more.
Source: SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs), Mental Health Surveillance Study, 2008 to 2012. NSDUH is an annual survey sponsored by SAMHSA. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their places of residence.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities. The Data Spotlight may be copied without permission. Citation of the source is appreciated. Find this report and those on similar topics online at https://www.samhsa.gov/data/.

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