Insomnia in older adults with generalized anxiety disorder.

OBJECTIVES

The purposes of this study are to determine the frequency and severity of insomnia symptoms and related complaints experienced by older adults with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and compare them with older adults without GAD; compare insomnia symptoms among older adults with GAD with and without comorbid depression; determine if there are age differences in insomnia severity among people with GAD; and determine if there are differences in insomnia severity between older adults with GAD and older adults diagnosed with insomnia.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Participants were recruited through primary care clinics, advertisements, and mass mailings.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred ten older adults; 31 with GAD, 25 with GAD and depression, 33 worried well, and 21 with no psychiatric diagnosis.

MEASUREMENTS

Psychiatric diagnosis, sleep disturbance, and health.

RESULTS

Participants with GAD with and without comorbid depression reported significantly greater sleep disturbance severity than participants with no psychiatric diagnosis and the worried well. There were no differences in sleep disturbances between older adults with GAD only and older adults with comorbid GAD and depression. The severity of sleep disturbance reported by older participants with GAD was greater than reports by young and middle-aged participants with GAD, and comparable with reports by older adults with a diagnosis of insomnia.

CONCLUSIONS

Ninety percent of older adults with GAD report dissatisfaction with sleep and the majority report moderate to severe insomnia. These findings support the assessment of sleep disturbances within the context of late-life GAD.