Temperament, character and anxiety sensitivity in panic disorder: a high-risk study.
BACKGROUND
Adult patients with panic disorder (PD) show high levels of harm avoidance and anxiety sensitivity. Peculiar temperament profiles and high anxiety sensitivity have been proposed as developmental risk factors for PD in adult age. Since familial-genetic influences play a role both in PD and in anxiety sensitivity and temperament profiles, this study aims to investigate the possible association between family history of PD and peculiar temperament-character profiles or high anxiety sensitivity in offspring of patients with PD.


METHODS
Thirty-four children of patients with PD with/without agoraphobia and 30 children of healthy subjects were compared. Temperament and character dimensions and anxiety sensitivity levels of children were obtained by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory and the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index.


RESULTS
Children of patients with PD and children of healthy subjects differed neither in temperament and character dimensions nor in anxiety sensitivity levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that family history of PD is not associated with peculiar temperament and character profiles or high anxiety sensitivity in children, suggesting that these factors may not be early expressions of familial vulnerability to PD. Since the sample is small and the study has a cross-sectional design, longitudinal studies in larger samples are warranted to confirm these findings and to clarify the role of anxiety sensitivity and temperament-character dimensions in the development of PD.
Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Villa San Benedetto Hospital, Hermanas Hospitalarias, Albese con Cassano, Italy. pernagp@tin.it
Giampaolo
G
Perna
Danila
D
di Pasquale
Massimiliano
M
Grassi
Giovanna
G
Vanni
Laura
L
Bellodi
Daniela
D
Caldirola
D000293:Adolescent; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D002605:Character; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012306:Risk; D013694:Temperament