Scared to death: Results from the health, aging, and body composition study

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine if anxiety is associated with mortality and if race moderates and depression mediates this relationship. Method: Participants are 3,015 adults aged 70-79 years. Results: Anxiety symptoms were significant predictors of all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality among blacks but not whites. Depression was not related to mortality. Conclusions: Although the mechanisms that underlie the relationship between anxiety and mortality are unknown, routine assessment of anxiety symptoms in clinical practice, particularly in black older adults, seems prudent.