An investigation of Childhood Trauma in Patients with Panic Disorder

Abstract

Introduction

It is widely known that childhood traumatic life situations are associated with most of the adult life psychiatric disorders such as disassociative disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and so on.

Objectives and aims

The purpose of this study to examine the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and panic disorder development.

Methods

The sample of this study consists of 59 outpatients who applied to the department of psychiatry in addition to 61 healthy individuals serving as the control group. These 59 individuals, located within the range of 18 to 65 years, were selected from outpatients who had been diagnosed with panic disorder based on DSM-V diagnosis criteria who did not have any other mental disorder. The 61 healthy individuals in the control group were selected from hospital attendants who had not received any psychiatric diagnosis. The participants were administered the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) and a socio-demographic form.

Results

The participants in the panic disorder group were found to have significantly high scores in comparison to the control group with respect to CTQ subscales (i.e., the emotional neglect and the emotional abuse subscale) and the total CTQ score. Hence, there exists a strong relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and panic disorder development.

Conclusion

The results revealed that childhood traumatic experiences play an active role in the development of panic disorder. Moreover, it was found that the type and quality of trauma experienced during the childhood period is one of the predictors for the psychiatric disease that can occur in the future years.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.