Childhood Abuse and Level of Manifested Anxiety in Adult Patients with Anxiety Disorder

Background: The relation of the childhood abuse with anxiety disorders is reported in numerous studies. Aim: Relation between the childhood abuse and level of manifested anxiety in adult patients with anxiety disorders. Material and Methods: The severity of the emotional and physical childhood abuse is measured with the CTQ, while the level of manifest anxiety of the patients is measured with the TMAS. Both questionnaires were administered to 96 patients with AD (32 with panic disorder, 32 with social phobia and 32 with generalized anxiety disorder) according ICD10. Results: In 35.42% of the examined patients was found abuse during the childhood. Childhood emotional abuse was higher among female patients. There is a statistically significant difference in the severity of the manifest anxiety between various groups of AD. Statistically significant relation between the physical and emotional abuse in childhood and the level of manifest anxiety of all three clinical groups that were examined was found. Conclusion: These findings confirm the correlation between childhood physical and emotional abuse and the level of manifest anxiety in adult patients with anxiety disorders.