The relationship of separation anxiety with the age of onset of panic disorder

Aim: This study aimed to investigate whether separation anxiety (SA) constitutes a dimension related to age at onset of panic disorder (PD), in homogeneous subgroups of outpatients with PD, based on their age of onset and symptom severity. Methods: A sample of 232 outpatients with PD was assessed with the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) and the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) for functional impairments. Separation anxiety was evaluated using structured interviews and questionnaires. We applied a K-Means Cluster Analysis based on the standardized PD age of onset and the PDSS total score to identify distinct but homogeneous groups. Results: We identified three groups of patients: group 1 (PD early onset/severe, N = 97, 42%, onset 23.2 +/- 6.7 years), group 2 (PD early onset/not severe, N = 76, 33%, onset 23.4 +/- 6.0 years) and group 3 (PD adult onset/not severe, N = 59, 25%, onset 42.8 +/- 7.0 years). Patients with early onset/severe PD had significantly higher scores on all SA measures than PD late-onset/not severe. Regression analyses showed that SA scores, but not PDSS scores, were predictive of impairment in SDS work/school, social life, and family functioning domains. Conclusions: Our data indicate a significant relationship between SA and PD with an earlier age of onset and an impact on individual functioning. This may have important implications for implementing preventive interventions targeting early risk factors for the subsequent onset of PD.

Automated summary

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between separation anxiety (SA) and the age at onset of panic disorder (PD) in a sample of outpatient PD patients. Three homogeneous subgroups were identified based on age of onset and symptom severity. Patients with early onset/severe PD had higher SA scores and SA was predictive of impairment in various domains of individual functioning. These findings have important implications for preventive interventions targeting early risk factors for PD.