Is early separation anxiety a specific precursor of panic disorder-agoraphobia? A community study.

The present study aimed to examine memories of early separation anxiety symptoms in a community sample of women at heightened risk to neurotic disorder. The chief finding was that subjects with a lifetime history of panic disorder-agoraphobia (PD-Ag) returned statistically higher scores on a retrospective measure of early separation anxiety compared to subjects with either generalized anxiety or other phobic disorders, a result which was not accounted for by differences in neuroticism or General Health Questionnaire scores. Although limited by its retrospective design and the problem of co-morbidity in subclassifying the anxiety disorders, the present study does provide added support for the hypothesis--endorsed by DSM-III-R--that there is a developmental link between early separation anxiety and panic disorder.