There are clear indications for an association between childhood separation anxiety disorder and future anxiety and panic disorders. These results support a developmental psychopathology conceptualization of anxiety disorders, a perspective that is expected to be strengthened in the DSM-5. Some evidence suggests the existence of  a developmental pathway that may start with exaggerated stranger anxiety in infancy.

University of Colorado at Denver

From the meta-analyses, it was concluded that children with separation anxiety disorder were more likely to develop panic disorder later on (odds ratio=3.45; 95% CI=2.37–5.03). The results indicate that a childhood diagnosis of separation anxiety disorder significantly increases the risk of panic disorder but also of other anxiety disorders.

Findings of Separation Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorders Comorbidity Research

Kossowsky, J., Pfaltz, M. C., Schneider, S., Taeymans, J., Locher, C., & Gaab, J. (2013). The Separation Anxiety Hypothesis of Panic Disorder Revisited: A Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 170(7), 768–781. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12070893

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