Effects of parental anxiety disorders in children at high risk for panic disorder: a controlled study.
BACKGROUND
To examine the association between anxiety disorders in parents and offspring in a sample of children at risk for panic disorder. We hypothesized that individual anxiety disorders will breed true in offspring.


METHODS
Comparisons were made between offspring of parents with PD+MD (N=136), PD (N=27), MD (N=27), and Controls (N=103). All subjects were assessed with structured diagnostic interviews. Individual anxiety disorders in the offspring were used as dependent variables in logistic regression models where parental PD status, parental MD, and the same parental anxiety diagnosis were used as independent binary variables.


RESULTS
Social phobia and separation anxiety disorder in the offspring were accounted for by the same disorders in the parent, whereas agoraphobia and OCD in the offspring were accounted for by parental panic disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that differing risk factors underlie the expression of individual anxiety disorders in children at risk for panic disorder.
Biederman
Joseph
J
Massachusetts General Hospital, Pediatric Psychopharmacology Research, Boston, MA 02114, United States. jbiederman@partners.org
Petty
Carter
C
Faraone
Stephen V
SV
Henin
Aude
A
Hirshfeld-Becker
Dina
D
Pollack
Mark H
MH
de Figueiredo
Sophie
S
Feeley
Robert
R
Rosenbaum
Jerrold F
JF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D001010:Anxiety, Separation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D012306:Risk; D013223:Statistics as Topic