BACKGROUND: Panic disorder with/without agoraphobia (PD/PDA) is a prevalent anxiety disorder, associated with impairment in quality of life and functionality, as well as increased healthcare utilization. Extant research shows a relationship between stressful life events (SLEs) and the onset of panic attacks in adults who ultimately develop PD/PDA. However, limited attention has been paid to how SLEs might affect the severity of panic symptoms in individuals with PD/PDA. In this study, we examined the relationship between SLEs and panic symptom severity in adults with PD/PDA. METHODS: Four hundred-eighteen adults with PD/PDA from the Harvard/Brown Anxiety Research Program (HARP), a long-term prospective longitudinal observational multicenter study of adults with a current or past history of anxiety disorders were included in this study. We examined occurrence of SLEs and their impact on panic symptom severity 12-weeks pre- and post-SLE. RESULTS: A time-slope effect showed that participants had worsened panic symptoms over the course of the 12-weeks after family/friends/household and work SLEs. That is, their symptoms worsened progressively after the event, rather than immediately thereafter (i.e., significant symptom change within the same week of the event). LIMITATIONS: The sample may not be representative of the general population. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide new insights into how SLEs affect panic symptoms in adults with PD/PDA in that household-related SLEs, such as serious family arguments, and work-related SLEs, such as being fired, put some adults at risk for worsened panic symptoms within 12-weeks of the event.
BACKGROUND:Panic disorder with/without agoraphobia (PD/PDA) is a prevalent anxiety disorder, associated with impairment in quality of life and functionality, as well as increased healthcare utilization. Extant research shows a relationship between stressful life events (SLEs) and the onset of panic attacks in adults who ultimately develop PD/PDA. However, limited attention has been paid to how SLEs might affect the severity of panic symptoms in individuals with PD/PDA. In this study, we examined the relationship between SLEs and panic symptom severity in adults with PD/PDA. METHODS: Four hundred-eighteen adults with PD/PDA from the Harvard/Brown Anxiety Research Program (HARP), a long-term prospective longitudinal observational multicenter study of adults with a current or past history of anxiety disorders were included in this study. We examined occurrence of SLEs and their impact on panic symptom severity 12-weeks pre- and post-SLE. RESULTS: A time-slope effect showed that participants had worsened panic symptoms over the course of the 12-weeks after family/friends/household and work SLEs. That is, their symptoms worsened progressively after the event, rather than immediately thereafter (i.e., significant symptom change within the same week of the event). LIMITATIONS: The sample may not be representative of the general population. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide new insights into how SLEs affect panic symptoms in adults with PD/PDA in that household-related SLEs, such as serious family arguments, and work-related SLEs, such as being fired, put some adults at risk for worsened panic symptoms within 12-weeks of the event.
Authors: M B Keller; K A Yonkers; M G Warshaw; L A Pratt; J K Gollan; A O Massion; K White; A R Swartz; J Reich; P W Lavori Journal: J Nerv Ment Dis Date: 1994-05 Impact factor: 2.254
Authors: M E Pagano; A E Skodol; R L Stout; M T Shea; S Yen; C M Grilo; C A Sanislow; D S Bender; T H McGlashan; M C Zanarini; J G Gunderson Journal: Acta Psychiatr Scand Date: 2004-12 Impact factor: 6.392
Authors: Alicia J Peel; Chérie Armour; Joshua E J Buckman; Jonathan R I Coleman; Susannah C B Curzons; Molly R Davies; Christopher Hübel; Ian Jones; Gursharan Kalsi; Monika McAtarsney-Kovacs; Andrew M McIntosh; Dina Monssen; Jessica Mundy; Christopher Rayner; Henry C Rogers; Megan Skelton; Abigail Ter Kuile; Katherine N Thompson; Gerome Breen; Andrea Danese; Thalia C Eley Journal: J Affect Disord Rep Date: 2021-12