Relationship between adult social phobia and childhood anxiety.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of traumas and the presence of childhood anxiety disorders in adult patients with social phobia and investigate their influence on the presentation of the disorder.


METHODS
Twenty-four adult patients with social phobia were asked about the presence of trauma before the age of 16. The K-SADS-E and the DICA-P interviews were used to assess these patients regarding childhood anxiety disorders.


RESULTS
Twelve (50%) patients reported a history of trauma before the age of 16. The presence of trauma did not influence the presentation of the disorder. Seventy-five percent of patients had a history of anxiety disorders in childhood. Patients with a history of at least 2 childhood anxiety disorders had an increased lifetime prevalence of major depression (10 vs. 3; p=.04) and family history of psychiatric disorders (13 vs. 6; p=.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Anxiety disorder in childhood is associated with family history of psychiatric disorders. The presence of more than one diagnosis of anxiety disorder in childhood can be considered a risk factor for the development of depression in adult patients with social phobia.
Manfro
Gisele Gus
GG
Psychiatric Service of the Clinical Hospital of Porto Alegre. Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. gmanfro@portoweb.com.br
Isolan
Luciano
L
Blaya
Carolina
C
Maltz
Sandra
S
Heldt
Elizeth
E
Pollack
Mark H
MH
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology