Childhood Trauma and Panic Disorder: The Impact of History of Child Abuse on Illness Severity and Treatment Response

Patients who have experienced child abuse often have complex clinical presentations; whether a history of child abuse (HCA) affects psychotherapy outcomes is unclear. The authors examined relationships between HCA, clinical baseline variables, and change in these variables after three different psychotherapies for panic disorder (PD).

Two hundred adults with PD (with or without agoraphobia) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments across two sites: panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), or applied relaxation training (ART). Differences in demographic and clinical variables between those with and without HCA were compared. The primary analysis addressed odds of meeting clinical response criteria on the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) between treatments, as moderated by HCA. This effect was examined via continuous outcomes on the PDSS and psychosocial functioning (Sheehan Disability Scale).

Compared with patients without HCA (N=154), patients with HCA (N=46) experienced significantly more severe symptoms of PD (d=0.60), agoraphobia (d=0.47), and comorbid depression (d=0.46); significantly worse psychosocial impairment (d=0.63) and anxiety sensitivity (d=0.75); greater personality disorder burden (d=0.45)—particularly with cluster C disorders (d=0.47)—and more severe interpersonal problems (d=0.54). HCA significantly moderated the likelihood of clinical response, predicting nonresponse to ART (B=−2.05, 95% CI=−4.17 to −0.30, OR=0.13, z=−2.14, p=0.032) but not CBT or PFPP. HCA did not interact with treatment condition to predict slopes of PDSS change.

The results of this study highlight the importance of HCA in formulating treatment recommendations. Increased awareness of HCA’s effects on severity of PD and treatment responsiveness among patients with PD may improve outcomes.