Gender differences in anxiety among secondary school in Kuwait

Abstract

Introduction

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders, and their prevalence is substantially higher in women than in men. Research has confirmed the existence of gender differences in several types of anxiety disorders.

Objectives

The current investigation sought to determine whether any observable gender differences existed in anxiety for a nonclinical sample.

Methods

the sample consisted of 300 males and 300 female students from a secondary school in Kuwait. The genders were matched in age (males = 16.52 ± 0.90 & females = 16.37 ± 0.96, t = 1.93, P > .05). The inclusion criteria for all participants: sample of the population of Al-Jahra city, aged between 15 and 18 years old, school grades 10, 11, 12, and the social status of the parents (married). The Arabic version of Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was administered to participants. BAI reliabilities ranged from .88 to .87 with a mean .87 (alpha) denoting good internal consistency. The convergent correlations in eight samples between BAI and Kuwait University Anxiety Scale KUAS (mean r = .52) for validity coefficients.

Results

The results revealed that females (18.67 ± 11.11) had significantly higher mean anxiety than their male (14.52 ± 10.37) counterparts (f = 22.27, P < .000).

Conclusion

Therefore, we can conclude that female preponderance of anxiety has been a consistent finding within literature.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.