Anxiety Symptoms and Healthcare Utilization among a Sample of Outpatients in an Internal Medicine Clinic

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we explored the role of anxiety symptoms (i.e., symptoms that would probably not fulfill DSM criteria) in relationship to healthcare utilization. Method: We surveyed 117 outpatients in an internal medicine clinic regarding four types of anxiety symptoms (i.e., mixed anxiety features, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive personality features, worry), and through a retrospective review of medical records, examined healthcare utilization patterns. Results: Nearly 28% of participants endorsed “positive” results on at least three of the anxiety-symptom measures. When examined for relationships to healthcare utilization, only obsessive-compulsive personality features demonstrated a significant relationship. Conclusions: While anxiety symptoms were common in this primary care sample, their impact on healthcare utilization was limited, in that only obsessive-compulsive personality features demonstrated a relationship.