Background: Patients with panic disorder (PD) may experience increased vulnerability to dissociative and anxious phenomena in the presence of repeated traumatic events, and these may be risk factors for the development of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD). The present study aims to find out whether the presence of cPTSD exacerbates anxiety symptoms in patients suffering from panic disorder and whether this is specifically associated with the occurrence of dissociative symptoms.
Methods: One-hundred-and-seventy-three patients diagnosed with PD were recruited and divided into two groups based on the presence (or absence) of cPTSD using the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) scale. Dissociative and anxious symptoms were assessed using the Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), respectively.
Results: Significant differences in re-experienced PTSD (p < 0.001), PTSD avoidance (p < 0.001), PTSD hyperarousal (p < 0.001), and DSO dysregulation (p < 0.001) were found between the cPTSD-positive and cPTSD-negative groups. A statistically significant association between the presence of cPTSD and total scores on the HAM-A (p < 0.001) and CDS (p < 0.001) scales was found using regression analysis.
Conclusions: This study highlights the potential link between dissociative symptoms and a more severe clinical course of anxiety-related conditions in patients with PD. Early intervention programs and prevention strategies are needed.
Keywords: anxiety; complex posttraumatic disorder; dissociation; panic disorder.