To be female, middle class, anxious, and black

Women of color theorists have suggested that the double minority status of gender and ethnicity places African American women at higher risk for anxie ty. However, little information is available about anxiety disorders among African American women. The existing literature subsumes Black women under the general category of African Americans and focuses on low-income samples . In this study, we examine die manifestation of panic disorder in a sample of 15 predominantly middle-class African American women. We then compare t hese women to a group of 35 predominantly middle-class African American wom en without panic disorder on several factors, including presence of isolate d sleep paralysis, presence of other anxiety disorders, help-seeking behavi or, and victimization. Results indicate that African American women with pa nic disorder experienced isolated sleep paralysis, and that both groups had high levels of sexual victimization. Help-seeking among women with panic a nd other anxiety disorders was limited to relationship difficulties, sexual assault, and bereavement.