[The relationship between social support, psychological stress and the risk of developing anxiety disorders in men and women: results of a national study].
OBJECTIVE
Investigate the links between different types of social support, psychological well-being and distress among individuals with anxiety disorders.


METHODS
Data were drawn from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS cycle 1.2) which had 36,984 participants, 1,803 of whom presented with anxiety disorders. Classical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the links between different social support dimensions and psychological well-being on one hand, and psychological distress on the other hand.


RESULTS
Women reported perceiving significantly higher levels of affective, emotional/informational, tangible support and positive social interactions than men. After controlling for potentially confounding variables (socio-demographic variables and the presence of a major depressive disorder), three types of social supports appeared to be predictors for the psychological well-being of women with anxiety disorders: positive social interactions, emotional/informational support, and affective support. For men, none of the social support variables were significantly associated with psychological well-being or distress. The comparisons of Beta coefficients do not show any significant difference between the sexes.


CONCLUSIONS
Social support appears to be a positive predictor for psychological well-being among women with an anxiety disorder. No associations were found between social support variables and the psychological distress perceived by men and women. The results of this study therefore confirm the importance of teaching appropriate support strategies adapted for anxiety disorders. Future studies should assess negative social interactions in addition to social support.
Centre d'Etude sur le Trauma, Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin de l'Hôpital Louis-H. Lafontaine, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada. edith.stjean@videotron.ca
Edith
E
St-Jean-Trudel
Stéphane
S
Guay
André
A
Marchand
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002170:Canada; D003153:Community Health Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*