The aim of this study was the identification of the risk modifying factors of anxiety and depressive disorders based on a population study. This study was conducted in a randomly selected group of 1659 adult inhabitants of the Żywiec district. Anonymous questionnaires consisting of a proprietary questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used to collect the data. The conducted analysis revealed that the factors increasing the risk of depressive disorders in the studied population were female gender, age over 60, retirement period, primary and vocational education, unemployment, mental work and absolute lack of physical activity, but also daily and intensive sports, heavy smoking, chronic somatic diseases and misuse of sleeping pills and over-the-counter sedatives. Anxiety disorders occurred more often in the group of unemployed, self-employed or retired people. They also occurred more often in the group of people who do not perform any physical activity and use alcohol every day, but also among those who maintain abstinence, regularly smoke tobacco and use stimulants, suffer from somatic diseases and overuse sleeping drugs. Disease preventive factors for anxiety disorders and depression were a constant form of employment, moderate and regular physical activity, avoiding the use of psychoactive substances and the regular treatment of comorbid somatic diseases and insomnia.
Keywords: anxiety disorders; depression; population-based study; risk factors.