Prevalence and comorbidity of generalized anxiety disorder in a sample of Spanish adolescent school children

The epidemiological data on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) are relatively scant in children and adolescents. This study attempts to determine the prevalence and comorbidity of GAD in a sample of adolescent schoolchildren from the province of Valencia. The study population, aged from 12 to 16 years(14.04 ± 1.22), came from a series of secondary schools. The study has a crossover design, using a diagnostic interview (K-SADS) conducted by mental health professionals with a single intervention. The prevalence rate for GAD in the final sample of 962 individuals was 3% (2.4% males; 3.7% females). Prevalence was highest for both groups at 14 years of age. Of the participants with GAD, 58% had at least one other psychiatric diagnosis, the most common being another anxiety disorder (48.3%), The prevalence and comorbidity rates found, in the absence of any prior data in our environment, are similar to those described in other settings; therefore, early detection would allow early intervention.