The prevalence of specific phobia and associated co-morbid features in children and adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence, associated co-morbid psychiatric disorders and behavioral/emotional problems associated with the subtypes of specific phobia in children and adolescents.


METHODS
A total of 2673 randomly selected children and adolescents from Seoul, Korea were assessed using the parent version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-IV) and Children's Behavior Checklist (CBCL). We analyzed differences in psychiatric co-morbidities and CBCL profiles among the subtypes of specific phobia.


RESULTS
The 1-year prevalence of specific phobia was 7.9% (95% CI 7.63-8.17). Animal phobia was associated with anxiety disorder (OR 8.68, 95% CI 1.91-39.51) and oppositional defiant disorder (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.27-5.12). Nature-environment phobia was associated with anxiety disorder (OR 25.70, 95% CI 6.16-107.10). Blood-injection-injury phobia showed associations with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD: OR 6.74, 95% CI 2.81-16.15). Subjects with nature-environment phobia scored higher than did controls on the anxious/depressed, social problems, attention problems, and total behavioral problem profiles of the CBCL. Subjects with blood-injection-injury phobia scored significantly higher than did controls on the attention problems, aggressive behaviors, and externalizing problem profiles.


CONCLUSIONS
Contrary to animal phobias, nature-environment and blood-injection-injury phobias were associated with various behavioral and emotional problems and approximately correlated to their co-morbid psychiatric disorders. Among these subtypes, significant differences were found in demographic characteristics, co-morbid psychiatric disorders, and emotional/behavioral problems. These findings suggest that distinctive clinical characteristics might be related with different subtypes of specific phobia and clinician must consider psychiatric co-morbidities when treating children & adolescents with specific phobia.
Kim
Soo-Jin
SJ
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Neuropsychiatry, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, 101 Daehakro, Chongno-Gu, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Bung-Nyun
BN
Cho
Soo-Churl
SC
Kim
Jae-Won
JW
Shin
Min-Sup
MS
Yoo
Hee-Jung
HJ
Kim
Hyo Won
HW
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires