A comparison of worry in the psychiatric and community elderly

There is a paucity of anxiety research that systematically focuses on geriatric populations. In particular, the manifestations of worry in the elderly have been given minimal attention. This study compared two groups of participants aged 60 and over in terms of self-reported worry: 41 participants living in the community versus 40 participants hospitalized for psychiatric disorders. All participants completed measures of worry (both the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and the Worry Scale), depression, social support, physical health and mobility, life satisfaction, and time perspective in order to determine which variables were most relevant to worry in the two groups. Results indicated a relationship between worry and all of the above variables, with the exception of past time perspective. In comparison to the community group, the psychiatric group endorsed higher levels of worry on the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and more negative views of the present and the future (based on results from the Time Perspective Scale); in addition, life satisfaction emerged as the best predictor of worry in this group. Differences in worry between the two groups are discussed, and implications for treatment are explored. In particular, these findings suggest greater efficacy in treatments for worry may be achieved by focusing on the present or the future rather than in the past.