Examining Differences in Behavioural Avoidance Between Younger and Older Adults

Studies have found older adults report fewer anxiety symptoms than younger adults. As behavioral avoidance is theoretically associated with maintaining anxiety, this study sought to examine age-related differences in avoidance and anxiety in a cross-cultural sample of older (n = 60, 60-92 years) and younger adults (n = 70; 17-24 years).

Community dwelling participants from Australia and the United States of America completed self-report measures of anxiety, worry, and depression. Participants also self-rated levels of avoidance to 133 common fearful situations using a card sort task.

Older adults reported significantly less avoidance of age-adjusted social and medical scenarios, more avoidance of aggressive scenarios, with no significant difference for animal or agoraphobic scenarios when compared to younger adults. Age-related effects were no longer significant in full models, in which the main effect of anxiety explained variance in avoidance for social, medical, animal, agoraphobic, but not aggression scenarios.

Age differences in avoidance behavior were accounted for by differences in anxiety symptoms, except for avoidance of aggressive scenarios, which was not associated with anxiety. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Age differences in levels of avoidance of common fearful situations were found, and may be associated with differences in anxiety symptom severity.