title: Frequency of generalised anxiety disorder and associated factors in an urban settlement of Karachi.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study was undertaken to find the frequency of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) along with associated factors in an urban settlement of Karachi.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted at Defence Housing Authority (DHA), a posh area of Karachi. The sample population consisted of residents of ages between 18 and 65. The sample of 420 was completed by randomly going to residences in the DHA area. Self-administered questionnaires were handed out after taking informed consent. General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) 7 scale was used to estimate the anxiety level. The data was entered and analysed using SPSS version 16.0. Pearson's chi-square was used as the primary statistical test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean anxiety score of the total individuals selected was 5.1 +/- 3.79. Males reported a mean score of 4.99 +/- 4.01 while females reported a mean score of 5.25 +/- 3.42. A score of 5 is considered as the threshold for anxiety and anything below 5 is considered as normal. Based on this benchmark, out of the total sample size of 420, 211 (50.2%) individuals reported some degree of anxiety. Employment and education status were found to be significantly associated (p = 0.01) with anxiety among the participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the results, the high prevalence of anxiety in one of the most developed areas of Karachi is alarming. For 50.2% of the respondents to have anxiety is high considering the sample chosen represented individuals that were educated and had a high standard of living. The major factors responsible for anxiety cited by respondents were chronic diseases and emotional harm.
authors.affiliation: Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi. shahzebkhan@gmail.com
authors.forename: Muhammad Shahzeb
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Ziauddin Medical University, Karachi.
authors.forename: Umer
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Muhammad Bin Qasim Medical and Dental College, Karachi.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adnan
authors.affiliation: Ziauddin Medical University, Karachi.
authors.forename: Muhammad Azeem
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi.
authors.forename: Faizan Imran
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Bawany
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health; D055815:Young Adult