Comorbid panic attacks among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder: associations with traumatic event exposure history, symptoms, and impairment

Abstract

Little is known about the prevalence of panic attacks in PTSD and their influence on symptom severity and disability. Utilizing the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication data, respondents meeting DSM-IV criteria for past year PTSD (n=203) with and without comorbid panic attacks were compared across various dimensions. Past year panic attacks were found among 35% of the sample and were associated with greater PTSD-related disability and less time spent at work. Panic attacks were also associated with greater prevalence of comorbid depression, substance abuse/dependence, medically unexplained chronic pain, number of anxiety disorders and lifetime traumatic events, PTSD reexperiencing and avoidance/numbing symptoms, and treatment-seeking related to traumatic stress reactions. Multivariate analyses revealed that panic attacks were one of the only unique predictors of severe PTSD-related disability. Overall, findings suggest that panic attacks are common among individuals with PTSD; therapeutic strategies targeting panic in this population may be of significant benefit.