M. Amering et al., EMBARRASSMENT ABOUT THE FIRST PANIC ATTACK PREDICTS AGORAPHOBIA IN PANIC DISORDER PATIENTS, Behaviour research and therapy, 35(6), 1997, pp. 517-521
In order to find out whether contextual variables of the first panic a
ttack and the person's reaction to it predict the development of agora
phobia in panic disorder patients, 60 patients with a DSM-III-R diagno
sis of panic disorder with agoraphobia and 30 patients suffering from
panic disorder without agoraphobia were interviewed about their first
panic attack. Single comparisons between groups of agoraphobic and non
-agoraphobic patients were carried out and a logistic regression model
was applied. Occurrence of the first panic attack in public and the f
eeling of embarrassment were found to be significantly associated with
the development of agoraphobia. It is concluded that eliciting this s
pecific form of social concern at an early stage might help to identif
y patients at risk for later agoraphobia, which could, in turn, help t
o further specify early therapeutic interventions and concentrate ther
apeutic efforts on a high-risk group of panic disorder patients. (C) 1
997 Elsevier Science Ltd.