title: Panic disorder and health-related quality of life: the predictive roles of anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety.
abstract: Panic disorder (PD) is a very common anxiety disorder and is often a chronic disabling condition. However, little is known about the factors that predict health-related quality of life (HRQOL) other than sociodemographic factors and illness-related symptomatology that explain HRQOL in only small to modest degrees. This study explored whether anxiety-related individual traits including anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety can predict independently HRQOL in panic patients. Patients with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (N=230) who met the diagnostic criteria in the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV were recruited. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to determine the factors that predict HRQOL in panic disorder. HRQOL was assessed by the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Anxiety sensitivity was an independent predictor of bodily pain and social functioning whereas trait anxiety independently predicted all of the eight domains of the SF-36. Our data suggests that the assessment of symptomatology as well as individual anxiety-related trait should be included in the evaluation of HRQOL in panic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Bugokoncheon Hospital, Kyungnam, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Ho
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Borah
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ah Young
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, CHA Gumi Medical Center, CHA University, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Yeob
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tai Kiu
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: leesanghyuk@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Sang-Hyuk
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002605:Character; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012016:Reference Values; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Anxiety sensitivity; Health-related quality of life; Panic disorder; Trait anxiety