THE SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF ANXIETY AND ITS SYMPTOMS AMONG ANGLO-JEWS

In this community study of orthodox-affiliated Jews in London the soci al circumstances of anxiety were examined. By contrast with previous w ork on women in London, danger and early adversity bore only a weak re lationship with anxiety in this sample. Eventfulness had the strongest relationship with anxiety of all the circumstances examined. Women we re more likely to suffer from borderline anxiety than were men, but th ere were no gender differences in case anxiety. Women had more eventfu l lives than men but this could not solely account for gender differen ces in anxiety. Findings suggest the importance of cultural factors in aetiology. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.