title: Social Phobia Is Associated with Delayed Onset of Chickenpox, Measles, and Mumps Infections.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evidence showing that infectious diseases in childhood play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of neurodevelopmental and other mental disorders is growing. The aim of this study was to explore the timing of common childhood diseases in early-onset anxiety disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed data from PsyCoLaus, a large Swiss Population Cohort Study (N= 3720). In this study, we regressed overanxious disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, and specific phobias on the age of onset of several childhood diseases, always adjusting for the other anxiety disorders listed above and for sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The timing of viral childhood diseases (chickenpox, measles, and mumps) was consistently delayed in social phobia, notably both in men and women. We found no evidence for a reversed sequence of onset of phobia symptoms before that of the infections included.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Social phobia was the only early anxiety disorder to show an association with a delayed onset of common viral childhood diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Vladeta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ajdacic-Gross
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aleksandrowicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rodgers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kawohl
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Collegium Helveticum, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Institute of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM27), University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wulf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rössler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Lausanne , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castelao
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Lausanne , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vandeleur
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Bern University Hospital, Clinic Barmelweid , Barmelweid , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: von Känel
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Margot
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mutsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, University of Basel , Basel , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Roselind
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lieb
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Lausanne , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Preisig
keywords: anxiety disorders; childhood diseases; epidemiology; infectious diseases; social phobia