Generalized anxiety disorder and entry into marriage or a marriage-like relationship

Previous studies have suggested that individuals with generalized anxiety disorder report significantly higher levels of marital distress and are at a greater risk for divorce than those without generalized anxiety disorder. Studies also showed that relationship difficulties among those with generalized anxiety disorder predict poor treatment response and long-term outcome. In this study, the relation between a lifetime diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder and marital history was examined with the data from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). Respondents were grouped into those who have no mental disorder, those who have only generalized anxiety disorder, and those who have generalized anxiety disorder and a lifetime history of at least one of the 16 DSM-III-R diagnoses assessed in the NCS. Generalized anxiety disorder was significantly associated with the likelihood of entry into a marriage-like relationship. The results support the continued investigation into the association between couple functioning and the onset, course, and treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, and suggest that couples intervention could be an untapped resource for generalized anxiety disorder treatment.