An increasing rate in girls over the first 17 years differed in prevalence over boys and recovery rates were also equivalent (Howell, et. al, 2001). According to Howell, et. al (2001) the following variables increased risk specifically in girls: major life events, a higher level of self-consciousness, a lower level of self-esteem, higher self rated social competence, greater emotional reliance, more social support from friends, more physical illness, poorer self-rated physical health, less obesity, less exercise, and more physical symptoms. This research suggests gender-related intrinsic factors in controlling the psychosocial variables, which did not reduce the risk in girls versus boys. Men and women show similar course of illness paralleling girls and boys (Howell, et. al, 2001).
According to Rowa & Antony (2008) there is minimal research examining differences across ethnic and cultural groups. Theories of the impact of sociocultural factors on the onset of psychological disorders suggest that some racial or ethnic groups may have a greater vulnerability to develop psychological symptoms due to varying exposure to stressful events, lower socioeconomic position, and culturally specific beliefs about coping. Research found no differences among African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian individuals with regard to GAD symptom severity. Other studies indicate that the content and severity of worry domains are not uniform across ethnic groups. Scott, Eng, and Heimberg (2002) found that African American individuals reported less worry than Asian or Caucasian individuals on the topics of self-confidence, future goals, work competence, and relationship stability. Asians Americans reported more worry than the other groups on future goals. While Caucasians and Asian Americans reported similar levels of worry across various domains of worry, African Americans reported the most frequent worry about financial issues, despite similar levels of socioeconomic status across the groups and according to Comer (2014) in any given year African Americans are 30 percent more likely than white Americans to suffer from GAD.