Symptoms related to culture, age and sex:
There are considerable cultural variations on the expression of anxiety (eg, in some cultures express anxiety through somatic symptoms predominate, and in others through cognitive symptoms).
It is important to take into account the cultural context when assessing the excessiveness of some concern.
In children and adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety and worry often refer to the performance or competence at school or sports, even when these individuals are not evaluated by others. Sometimes timeliness is the issue that concerns focused excessive.
Other times, catastrophic events such as earthquakes or nuclear war. Children with the disorder can appear overtly conforming, perfectionist, unsure of themselves and inclined to repeat their work by an excessive disparity to the view that the results do not reach perfection.
In pursuing the approval of others may show a characteristic jealousy, excessive need to ensure the quality of performance or other issues that motivate their concern. In general, the symptoms of GAD tend to decrease with age.
The disorder is slightly more common in females than in males when studying samples of centers (approximately 55-60% of diagnoses are made in women). In epidemiological studies of general population the sex ratio is two thirds for women.
