J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2008 Nov;47(6):548-554.

Symptomatic Correlates of Interpersonal Trauma in Outpatients with Anxiety Disorders

• Bae H
• Kim D
• Kim YS
• Oh DY

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Psychiatric patients report higher rates of interpersonal trauma, and they present with more symptoms and behavioral problems. However, less is known about other anxiety disorders, except for posttraumatic stress disorder. In this study, we investigated symptomatic correlates of interpersonal trauma (i.e., physical or sexual assaults) in patients with heterogeneous anxiety disorders.
METHODS
We surveyed a consecutive sample of 90 outpatients with DSM-IV anxiety disorders (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, anxiety disorder not otherwise specified) at the psychiatric department of a university-affiliated hospital. The questionnaire was comprised of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Beck Depression Inventory, State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Impact of Events Scale-Revised.
RESULTS
Patients with interpersonal trauma (n=51) demonstrated a significantly higher level of interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation, and obsessive-compulsive subscale of the SCL-90-R. However, logistic regression analysis suggested that interpersonal sensitivity alone was suggested as the best fitting model.
CONCLUSION
Anxiety disorder patients with interpersonal trauma demonstrated difficulty in domains of interpersonal relationship. Clinicians treating this population should consider this finding for better engagement and management.

Keyword

Trauma; Anxiety disorder; Interpersonal sensitivity; Physical assaults; Sexual assaults

MeSH Terms

Anxiety
Anxiety Disorders
Depression
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Humans
Logistic Models
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Outpatients
Phobic Disorders
Surveys and Questionnaires
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic