Anxiety disorders among Chinese youth: A study based on GBD database

To analyze the disease burden of anxiety disorders among youth globally, in middle Socio-demographic Index (SDI) countries, and in China using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database.

Data on anxiety disorders were extracted from the GBD database. GBD Results Tool 2021 (version 2.34.2) was used for visualization and statistical analysis. Trends in incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were evaluated. An autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was applied to project disease burden from 2022 to 2035.

From 1990 to 2021, China's youth anxiety incidence was significantly lower than global and middle SDI averages. Females exhibited higher anxiety rates than males (5:3 ratio). In China, the number of prevalent cases decreased by 17 % (21.89 million to 18.15 million), incident cases by 15 % (3.03 million to 2.59 million), and DALYs by 17 % (2.68 million to 2.23 million). The 15-19 age group consistently showed the highest burden across all metrics. Projections indicate rising trends in prevalence (3467.02 to 3551.57 per 100,000), incidence (539.93 to 544.88 per 100,000), and DALYs (418.02 to 429.61 per 100,000) by 2035.

Despite historical declines, anxiety disorders among Chinese youth are projected to rise, posing challenges to national development goals. Targeted interventions, particularly for adolescents and females, are critical to mitigate future economic and social burdens.