Traumatic life events during childhood and parental attitudes are discussed as possible etiological factors for panic disorder (PD). Patients with PD (n = 115) and subjects without a history of psychiatric disorders (n = 124) were investigated using a comprehensive retrospective interview with 203 questions regarding childhood traumatic life events, parental attitudes, family history of psychiatric disorders, and birth risk factors. The frequency of reports of some traumatic childhood experiences was significantly different between patients and controls, including death of father, separation from parents, childhood illness, parents' alcohol abuse, violence in the family, sexual abuse, and other factors. On a 0 to 9 "severe trauma scale" patients had significantly more severe traumatic events (mean score, 1.31; SD 1.21) than control subjects (0.52; SD 0.80; P <.0001). Only 31.3% of the panic patients, but 62.9% of the controls, did not report any severe traumatic events at all (P <.0001). Compared to controls, patients described the attitude of their parents as more restricting and providing less loving care and attention. Patients reported significantly higher rates of psychiatric disorders in their families in general, in particular PD and generalized anxiety disorder. Birth risk factors did not differ significantly. In a logistic regression model, the following possible etiological factors showed a significant influence: family history of anxiety disorders, severe traumatic events during childhood, and unfavorable parental attitudes. The present data support the hypothesis that the etiology of PD is multifactorial and that traumatic life events may be a contributing factor. Owing to the retrospective nature of the data, the results have to be interpreted with caution. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
