Lei Tianyuan, Yang Kai, Jun JinHyun, Hu Shujin, Yang Qinghao, Hong Xu, Cui Yonghua
Department of Psychiatry, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Laboratory for Clinical Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2025 Jan 6;21:25-36. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S499083. eCollection 2025.
Tic disorders are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by movements or vocalizations, often accompanied by anxiety symptoms. However, the relationships between tic severity, age, and anxiety symptoms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the association between tic severity and age and examined how anxiety symptoms might influence this relationship.
Paediatric patients with tic disorders were recruited from the outpatient clinic of the in Department of Psychiatry at Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University. The final sample included 372 subjects (77 females, 295 males; mean age = 10.50 ± 2.70 years; age range: 6.33-15.92 years). Tic severity was assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS), while anxiety symptoms were measured using the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED).
We found a significant positive correlation between both total and subscale anxiety scores and tic severity. Furthermore, anxiety symptoms, particularly separation anxiety, were found to be significantly correlated with age-related differences in tic severity. In the high anxiety group, tic severity increased significantly with age, mirroring the overall trend. Conversely, in the low anxiety group, tic severity remained relatively stable with age.
Our findings highlight the role of anxiety in the progression of tic disorders and emphasize the importance of addressing anxiety in the clinical management of children with tic disorders.
抽动障碍是一种神经发育障碍，其特征为运动或发声，常伴有焦虑症状。然而，抽动严重程度、年龄与焦虑症状之间的关系仍不明确。在此，我们研究了抽动严重程度与年龄之间的关联，并探讨了焦虑症状可能如何影响这种关系。
从首都医科大学附属北京儿童医院精神科门诊招募患有抽动障碍的儿科患者。最终样本包括372名受试者（77名女性，295名男性；平均年龄 = 10.50 ± 2.70岁；年龄范围：6.33 - 15.92岁）。使用耶鲁全球抽动严重程度量表（YGTSS）评估抽动严重程度，同时使用儿童焦虑相关情绪障碍筛查量表（SCARED）测量焦虑症状。
我们发现焦虑总分及各分量表得分与抽动严重程度之间存在显著正相关。此外，发现焦虑症状，尤其是分离焦虑，与抽动严重程度的年龄相关差异显著相关。在高焦虑组中，抽动严重程度随年龄显著增加，与总体趋势一致。相反，在低焦虑组中，抽动严重程度随年龄保持相对稳定。
我们的研究结果突出了焦虑在抽动障碍进展中的作用，并强调了在抽动障碍儿童临床管理中解决焦虑问题的重要性。
