Is childhood separation anxiety disorder a predictor of adult panic disorder and agoraphobia? A seven-year longitudinal study.

Objective: To examine whether separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in childhood is a risk factor for panic disorder and agoraphobia in adulthood.

Methods: Patients (n = 85) who had completed treatment for SAD, generalized anxiety disorder, and/or social phobia 7.42 years earlier (on average) were reassessed using structured diagnostic interviews.

Results: Subjects with a childhood diagnosis of SAD did not display a greater risk for developing panic disorder and agoraphobia in young adulthood than those with other childhood anxiety diagnoses. Subjects with a childhood diagnosis of SAD did not more frequently meet full diagnostic criteria for panic disorder and agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, or major depressive disorder in adulthood than subjects with childhood diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder or social phobia, but were more likely to meet criteria for other anxiety disorders (i.e., specific phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and acute stress disorder).

Conclusions: These results argue against the hypothesis that childhood SAD is a specific risk factor for adult panic disorder and agoraphobia.