Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Psychopathology among parents of children and adolescents with separation anxiety disorder

Psychopathologische Auffälligkeiten von Eltern mit Kindern und Jugendlichen mit einer diagnostizierten Emotionalen Störung mit Trennungsangst

  • original article
  • Published:
neuropsychiatrie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Objective

To examine psychopathology among parents of children and adolescents with separation anxiety disorder (SAD).

Method

A case-control design was applied: parents of children and adolescents suffering from SAD (n = 30; age: 10.7 ± 1.8 a) were compared with parents of youth without any psychiatric disease (n = 30; age: 11.2 ± 1.8 a). The SCID-I, a structured clinical interview to assess psychopathology, was applied among the parents group.

Results

Parents of children and adolescents suffering from SAD exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of psychopathology, mainly anxiety disorders and mood disorders, in comparison with the control group. Within anxiety disorders, mothers predominantly suffered from social phobia and specific phobia. Fathers most frequently suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder and social phobia. Maternal anxiety disorder (current and lifetime) and maternal affective disorder (lifetime) proved to be significant predictors of SAD in youth.

Conclusions

The associations between parents’ psychopathology and the development of SAD in their children are discussed in the light of clinical implications, both in terms of psychotherapeutic care as well as treatment outcome.

Zusammenfassung

Ziel

In dieser Studie wird die Psychopathologie der Eltern von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit einer diagnostizierten Emotionalen Störung mit Trennungsangst untersucht.

Methode

In diesem Studiendesign werden Eltern und Jugendliche, welche die diagnostischen Kriterien einer Emotionalen Störung mit Trennungsangst erfüllten (n = 30; Alter: 10,7 ± 1,8 a) und gesunde Probanden (n = 30; Alter: 11,2 ± 1,8 a) verglichen. Das SKID-I, ein strukturiertes klinisches Interview für psychische Störungsbilder, wird für die Evaluierung der psychopathologischen Auffälligkeiten der Eltern verwendet.

Ergebnisse

Die Eltern von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit einer diagnostizierten Emotionalen Störung mit Trennungsangst haben verglichen mit der Kontrollgruppe eine signifikant höhere Prävalenz für psychiatrische Erkrankungen, vor allem im Bereich der Angststörungen und der affektiven Störungen.

Bezüglich der Angststörungen erfüllen hierbei die Mütter häufig die diagnostischen Kriterien für Soziale Phobie und Spezifische Phobie. Die Väter hingegen zeigen zum Untersuchungszeitpunkt häufiger Zwangserkrankungen und Soziale Phobien. Mütterliche Angststörungen (current und lifetime) und affektive Erkrankungen (lifetime) haben sich als signifikante Prädiktoren erwiesen.

Schlussfolgerung

Der Zusammenhang zwischen elterlicher Psychopathologie und der Entwicklung einer Emotionalen Störung mit Trennungsangst wird hinsichtlich der psychotherapeutischen Interventionsmöglichkeiten und des damit zusammenhängenden Behandlungserfolges diskutiert.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Beesdo K, Knappe S, Pine DS. Anxiety and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents: developmental issues and implications for DSM-V. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2009;32(3):483–524. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2009.06.002.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Allen JL, Lavallee KL, Herren C, Ruhe K, Schneider S. DSM-IV criteria for childhood separation anxiety disorder: informant, age, and sex differences. J Anxiety Disord. 2010;24(8):946–52. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.06.022.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Association AP. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV-TR. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Henin A, Biederman J, Mick E, Sachs GS, Hirshfeld-Becker DR, Siegel RS, et al. Psychopathology in the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder: a controlled study. Biol Psychiatry. 2005;58(7):554–61. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.06.010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Slattery MJ, Klein DF, Mannuzza S, Moulton JL, III, Pine DS, Klein RG. Relationship between separation anxiety disorder, parental panic disorder, and atopic disorders in children: a controlled high-risk study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2002;41(8):947–54. doi:10.1097/00004583-200208000-00013.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Biederman J, Faraone SV, Hirshfeld-Becker DR, Friedman D, Robin JA, Rosenbaum JF. Patterns of psychopathology and dysfunction in high-risk children of parents with panic disorder and major depression. Am J Psychiatry. 2001;158(1):49–57.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Hughes AA, Furr JM, Sood ED, Barmish AJ, Kendall PC. Anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in parents of children with anxiety disorders. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2009;40(3):405–19. doi:10.1007/s10578-009-0133-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Cooper PJ, Fearn V, Willetts L, Seabrook H, Parkinson M. Affective disorder in the parents of a clinic sample of children with anxiety disorders. J Affect Disord. 2006;93(1–3):205–12. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2006.03.017.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Bernstein GA, Layne AE, Egan EA, Nelson LP. Maternal phobic anxiety and child anxiety. J Anxiety Disord. 2005;19(6):658–72. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2004.09.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Schneider S, Margraf J. Diagnostic interview for psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents (DSM-IV and ICD-10), parent and child version. Göttingen: Hogrefe; 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Wittchen H, Zaudig M, Fydrich T. SKID Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I and II instruction manual. Göttingen: Hogrefe; 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Martin C, Cabrol S, Bouvard MP, Lepine JP, Mouren-Simeoni MC. Anxiety and depressive disorders in fathers and mothers of anxious school-refusing children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1999;38(7):916–22. doi:10.1097/00004583-199907000-00023.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Last CG. Somatic complaints in anxiety disordered children. J Anxiety Disord. 1991;5:125–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Lenane MC, Swedo SE, Leonard H, Pauls DL, Sceery W, Rapoport JL. Psychiatric disorders in first degree relatives of children and adolescents with obsessive compulsive disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1990;29(3):407–12. doi:10.1097/00004583-199005000-00012.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Bernstein GA, Garfinkel BD. Pedigrees, functioning, and psychopathology in families of school phobic children. Am J Psychiatry. 1988;145(1):70–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Kearney CA, Sims KE, Pursell CR, Tillotson CA. Separation anxiety disorder in young children: a longitudinal and family analysis. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2003;32(4):593–8. doi:10.1207/S15374424JCCP3204_12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Poulton R, Milne BJ, Craske MG, Menzies RG. A longitudinal study of the etiology of separation anxiety. Behav Res Ther. 2001;39(12):1395–410.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Manicavasagar V, Silove D, Rapee R, Waters F, Momartin S. Parent-child concordance for separation anxiety: a clinical study. J Affect Disord. 2001;65(1):81–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Silove D, Manicavasagar V, OʼConnell D, Morris-Yates A. Genetic factors in early separation anxiety: implications for the genesis of adult anxiety disorders. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1995;92(1):17–24.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kendall PC, Safford S, Flannery-Schroeder E, Webb A. Child anxiety treatment: outcomes in adolescence and impact on substance use and depression at 7.4-year follow-up. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2004;72(2):276–87. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.72.2.276.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Deas-Nesmith D, Brady KT, Campbell, S. Comorbid substance use and anxiety disorders in adolescents. J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 1998;20(S):139–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Caudill BD, Kong FH. Social approval and facilitation in predicting modeling effects in alcohol consumption. J Subst Abuse. 2001;13(4):425–41.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Beck KH, Thombs DL, Mahoney CA, Fingar KM. Social context and sensation seeking: gender differences in college student drinking motivations. Int J Addict. 1995;30(9):1101–15.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Lavallee K, Herren C, Blatter-Meunier J, Adornetto C, In-Albon T, Schneider S. Early predictors of separation anxiety disorder: early stranger anxiety, parental pathology and prenatal factors. Psychopathology. 2011;44(6):354–61. doi:10.1159/000326629.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Connell AM, Goodman SH. The association between psychopathology in fathers versus mothers and childrenʼs internalizing and externalizing behavior problems: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 2002;128(5):746–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18–20, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    P. Sackl-Pammer,  C. Popow,  B. Schuch,  M. Friedrich &  J. Huemer

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Landesklinikum Tulln, Alter Ziegelweg 10, 3430, Tulln, Austria

    M. Aigner

Authors
  1. P. Sackl-Pammer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. Popow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. B. Schuch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. Aigner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. Friedrich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. J. Huemer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Sackl-Pammer.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sackl-Pammer, P., Popow, C., Schuch, B. et al. Psychopathology among parents of children and adolescents with separation anxiety disorder. Neuropsychiatr 29, 23–28 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40211-014-0133-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40211-014-0133-7

Keywords

Schlüsselwörter

Search

Navigation