title: Is joint hypermobility related to anxiety in a nonclinical population also?
abstract: This study examines the association between joint hypermobility syndrome and anxiety in a nonclinical sample. Subjects (N = 526) receiving a medical check-up were assessed with the Hospital del Mar hypermobility criteria and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Scores for trait anxiety, and to a lesser extent state anxiety, were significantly higher among subjects with joint hypermobility syndrome than among subjects without this syndrome (median trait anxiety scores for women: 17 versus 11; median scores for men: 13 versus 1). These findings indicate that the association of joint hypermobility syndrome and anxiety holds even for subjects with no psychiatric diagnosis. Therefore, it seems that this benign connective tissue disorder is a predisposing factor for trait anxiety. However, it is necessary to further explore and define the biological basis of this syndrome, as well as its associations and clinical expressions, which interact with great complexity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain. abulbena@acmcb.es
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bulbena
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agulló
authors.forename: Guillem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pailhez
authors.forename: Rocio
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martín-Santos
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Porta
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guitart
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gago
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D003975:Diazepam