title: Comorbid panic attacks among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder: associations with traumatic event exposure history, symptoms, and impairment.
abstract: Little is known about the prevalence of panic attacks in PTSD and their influence on symptom severity and disability. Utilizing the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication data, respondents meeting DSM-IV criteria for past year PTSD (n=203) with and without comorbid panic attacks were compared across various dimensions. Past year panic attacks were found among 35% of the sample and were associated with greater PTSD-related disability and less time spent at work. Panic attacks were also associated with greater prevalence of comorbid depression, substance abuse/dependence, medically unexplained chronic pain, number of anxiety disorders and lifetime traumatic events, PTSD reexperiencing and avoidance/numbing symptoms, and treatment-seeking related to traumatic stress reactions. Multivariate analyses revealed that panic attacks were one of the only unique predictors of severe PTSD-related disability. Overall, findings suggest that panic attacks are common among individuals with PTSD; therapeutic strategies targeting panic in this population may be of significant benefit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Florida State University, FL 32306, United States. cougle@psy.fsu.edu
authors.forename: Jesse R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cougle
authors.forename: Matthew T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Feldner
authors.forename: Meghan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Keough
authors.forename: Kirsten A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: Kristin E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Fitch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology