Considering sex differences in anxiety and its disorders across the life span: A construct-validation approach

One neglected avenue to understanding anxiety disorders is through studying patterns of sex differences, which may suggest the need for modification i n definitions of anxiety and its disorders, their operationalization and me asurement, and the theories associated with these constructs. This article begins with a comprehensive review of sex differences across the life span that supports the widely held view that most anxiety disorders are more com mon among females than males. Subsequently, we offer an analysis of the pos sible sources of sex differences from a construct-validity perspective, wit h emphasis on understanding whether sex differences have their basis in met hodological problems, measurement or definitional problems, or problems in extant theories of anxiety themselves.