Adult separation anxiety in treatment nonresponders with anxiety disorders: delineation of the syndrome and exploration of attachment-based psychotherapy and biomarkers

Oxytocin Levels in Children with Separation Anxiety and Their Mothers before and after Treatment

Objective

The purpose of this study was to compare the plasma oxytocin levels of children with separation anxiety disorder (SAD) and their mothers with those of healthy controls and to examine the relationship between oxytocin levels and changes in anxiety three months after treatment.

Methods

Thirty children aged 6-12 years with SAD, 30 healthy children, and mothers of both groups were included in the study. All cases were evaluated with semi-structured interview and Clinical Global Impression Scale. All cases and mothers of both groups filled out scales to determine various psychological variables (anxiety, depression, and attachment). The patient group children were re-evaluated with their mothers after three months, following treatment. Plasma oxytocin levels were evaluated from both groups and their mothers before and after treatment.

Results

The plasma oxytocin levels of mothers of children with SAD were significantly lower than those of the controls and increased significantly three months after their children were treated. No difference was found between the plasma oxytocin levels of children with SAD and the control group, and these children's levels decreased significantly after treatment. A positive correlation was found between changes in the plasma oxytocin levels of children with SAD and the change in anxiety scores.

Conclusion

Our results show that the change in plasma oxytocin levels in both children and mothers after treatment suggests that oxytocin may be important in the etiology of SAD.

Impact of Childhood Trauma and Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder on Quality of Life in Individuals with Schizophrenia

Background

Childhood trauma and anxiety disorders are common in individuals with schizophrenia. This study aimed to investigate the effects of childhood trauma and adult separation anxiety disorder on the quality of life of individuals with schizophrenia.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 111 individuals with schizophrenia and 85 control subjects. The separation anxiety symptom inventory (SASI), adult separation anxiety questionnaire (ASAQ), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ), and World Health Organization quality of life questionnaire (WHOQoL-BREF) were administered to the participants.

Results

More individuals with schizophrenia than control subjects were unemployed and single (p<0.05). Individuals with schizophrenia scored significantly higher on the SASI, ASAQ, and CTQ (p<0.05), whereas the control subjects scored significantly higher on the WHOQoL-BREF (p<0.05). ASAQ scores had mild positive correlations with total PANSS and PANSS subscale scores, and moderate positive correlations with total CTQ, CTQ emotional subscale scores, and CTQ physical abuse subscale scores. A negative moderate correlation was found between ASAQ and total WHOQoL-BREF scores. Mediation analysis revealed that CTQ scores significantly affected total WHOQoL-BREF and ASAQ scores. The model pathway for ASAQ scores showed a significant direct and indirect effect of CTQ on the total WHOQoL-BREF scores.

Conclusion

Childhood trauma predicts adult separation anxiety disorder, which partially mediates the impact of childhood trauma on quality of life in individuals with schizophrenia. Therapeutic interventions for adult separation anxiety disorder in individuals with schizophrenia and a history of childhood trauma may help increase their quality of life.

Adult separation anxiety: Personality characteristics of a neglected clinical syndrome

Over the past two decades, interest in the relationship between personality and psychopathology has resurged. However, the clinical problem of adult separation anxiety (ASA) has been largely excluded from this endeavor due to the age-of-onset criterion in older editions of the DSM that prohibited first-onset diagnoses in adulthood. This study tests relationships between ASA symptoms and higher- and lower-order personality traits in a community sample of 565 women. It accounts for systematic error by utilizing informant report, two personality inventories, and data from two time points over three years, and by adjusting for mood state. It also tests longitudinal ASA-personality models. Results indicate that ASA is robustly associated with negative emotionality and its facet of stress reaction, as well as with aggression, alienation, and absorption to somewhat lesser degrees. These relationships are not due to overlap with other traits (except in the case of alienation), or mood-state biases, and they are verified by informants. Moreover, negative temperament predicts greater levels of ASA three years later, adjusting for baseline ASA. Neither positive emotionality or temperament, nor positive emotionality's lower-order scales, were uniquely related to ASA in multitrait models, whereas relationships between ASA and disinhibition and constraint were inconsistent. These findings lay the groundwork for future research testing the mechanisms and causal links between these personality traits and ASA and may help clinicians anticipate traits that are associated with ASA in order to tailor treatments to patients' personalities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Portuguese validation of the Adult Separation Anxiety-Questionnaire (ASA-27)

Adult separation anxiety disorder (ASAD) is characterized by developmentally inappropriate and excessive fear or anxiety concerning separation from those to whom the individual is attached. Despite the high rates of this diagnosis among Portuguese adults, there is a lack of measures to assess it. In this study, we assessed the psychometric properties of a Portuguese adaptation of the Adult Separation Anxiety questionnaire (ASA-27) on a sample of 267 adults (72.7% women) aged 18–80 years (M = 40.5, SD = 13.1). Factor structure, internal consistency, and convergence validity were examined. This study confirmed the single-factor structure of the Portuguese version of ASA-27. Consistency was high for the total sample (ω = .92) and by gender (ω = .93 and 92, men and women groups, respectively). The scale was positively related to the Portuguese version of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (r = .57, p< .001, for both State and trait anxiety scales) and Composite Codependency Scale total score (r = .29, p< .001). In addition, the ASA-27 total score showed incremental validity in the explanation of anxiety measured by STAI. In conclusion, results show that the Portuguese version of the ASA-27 is a reliable and valid measure of ASAD.

Separation anxiety disorder among outpatients with major depressive disorder: Prevalence and clinical correlates

Prior studies have reported that separation anxiety disorder (SEPAD) can continue into or may begin in adulthood. Association of SEPAD with other psychiatric disorders has been frequently examined, and high rates of comorbidities have been found. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and clinical correlation of SEPAD in adult patients undergoing treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). The study sample was comprised of 100 outpatients. Participants underwent a DSM-5-based comprehensive assessment. Purposefully-designed semi-structured sociodemographic information and illness history forms were filled out by the researchers, and diagnoses of SEPAD were made using the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms, Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory and Adult Separation Anxiety Survey. The frequency of SEPAD was 41% in patients with MDD, three-quarters of whom were adult onset. The use of new-generation antidepressants, adjunctive medications and comorbidity of other anxiety disorders were higher in patients with SEPAD (p < 0.05). SEPAD was highly prevalent, with a majority of cases starting in adulthood among patients with MDD, while SEPAD comorbidity was associated with high levels of anxiety and an increased likelihood of suboptimal response to usual depression treatment. Further studies are required to define the relevance and pathological basis for the comorbidity of SEPAD in people with MDD.

Separation anxiety in PTSD: A pilot study of mechanisms in patients undergoing IPT

INTRODUCTION

Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) comprises one aspect of attachment dysregulation or insecurity. Although SAD aggravates posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk, no clinical research has tracked how many patients with PTSD have SAD, its clinical associations, or its response to PTSD treatment. Our open trial of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for veterans with PTSD assessed these SAD domains.

METHODS

Twenty-nine veterans diagnosed with chronic PTSD on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale were assessed for SAD using the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms (SCI-SAS), and for Symptom-Specific Reflective Function (SSRF), another dysregulated-attachment marker capturing patients' emotional understanding of their symptoms. Patients received 14 IPT sessions for PTSD with assessments at baseline, Week 4 (SCI-SAS and SSRF), and termination for SAD, PTSD, and depression.

RESULTS

At baseline, 69% of patients met SAD criteria. Separation anxiety did not correlate with baseline PTSD severity, depressive severity, or age when traumatized; patients with and without SAD had comparable PTSD and depression severity. Patients with baseline comorbid SAD who completed IPT (N = 17) reported significantly improved adult separation anxiety (p = .009). Adult SAD improvements predicted depressive improvement (p = .049). Patients with SAD showed a stronger relationship between early SSRF gains and subsequent adult SAD improvement (p = .021) compared with patients without SAD.

DISCUSSION

This first exploration of dysregulated/insecure attachment features among patients with PTSD found high SAD comorbidity and adult SAD improvement among patients with SAD following IPT. Highly impaired attachment patients normalized attachment posttreatment: 14-session IPT improved attachment dysregulation. This small study requires replication but begins to broaden clinical understanding of separation anxiety, attachment dysregulation, and PTSD.

A neurobiological framework of separation anxiety and related phenotypes

In the DSM-5, separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is newly classified in the chapter on anxiety, renewing research efforts into its etiology. In this narrative review, we summarize the current literature on the genetic, endocrine, physiological, neural and neuropsychological underpinnings of SAD per se, SAD in the context of panic disorder, separation anxiety symptoms, and related intermediate phenotypes. SAD aggregates in families and has a heritability of ~43%. Variants in the oxytocin receptor, serotonin transporter, opioid receptor µ1, dopamine D4 receptor and translocator protein genes have all been associated with SAD. Dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, dysfunctional cortico-limbic interaction and biased cognitive processing seem to constitute further neurobiological markers of separation anxiety. Hypersensitivity to carbon dioxide appears to be an endophenotype shared by SAD, panic disorder and anxiety sensitivity. The identification of biological risk markers and its multi-level integration hold great promise regarding the prediction of SAD risk, maintenance and course, and in the future may allow for the selection of indicated preventive and innovative, personalized therapeutic interventions.

Processes of therapeutic change: Results from the Cornell-Penn Study of Psychotherapies for Panic Disorder

To examine process of changes in two distinct psychotherapies-cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PFPP). Two hypothesized processes of change-misinterpretation of bodily sensations and Panic Specific Reflective Function (PSRF)-were tested in the CBT and PFPP arms of the Cornell-Penn Study of Psychotherapies for Panic Disorder. The Brief Bodily Sensations Interpretation Questionnaire (BBSIQ) measures misinterpretation of bodily sensations-a focus of CBT interventions. PSRF, a target of PFPP, assesses the capacity to reflect on the underlying meaning of panic symptoms. A sample of 138 patients (37.7% men, 72.56% Whites, and 16.7% Latinx) with primary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) panic disorder were included in the present analyses. Mixed effects models tested the effects of early change in BBSIQ and PSRF (intake through Week 5) on subsequent change in the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS; Week 5 through termination). Early change on both PSRF and BBSIQ predicted subsequent change in panic severity across the two treatments. As predicted, PSRF changed more in PFPP than in CBT, but, contrary to expectation, BBSIQ showed comparable changes in both groups. Counterintuitively, CBT patients benefited more in terms of panic symptom improvement when their PSRF improved than did PFPP patients. This is the first demonstration of general processes of change (PSRF and BBSIQ) across psychotherapies for panic disorder, suggesting that to the extent patients change their beliefs about the meaning of panic, their panic symptoms improve in time-limited, panic-focused psychotherapies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The Role of the Oxytocin System in Anxiety Disorders

Oxytocin, a neuropeptide synthesized by the hypothalamus, plays a central role in human social behavior, social cognition, anxiety, mood, stress modulation, and fear learning and extinction. The relationships between oxytocin and psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder have been extensively studied. In this chapter, we focus on the current knowledge about oxytocin and anxiety disorder. We discuss the anxiolytic effects of oxytocin in preclinical and clinical findings, possible related neurobehavioral mechanisms (social cognition, fear learning, and extinction), related neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine systems (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, serotoninergic, and GABAergic systems), and studies regarding plasma levels of oxytocin, genetic and epigenetic findings, and effects of intranasal oxytocin in DSM-5 anxiety disorder (primarily social anxiety disorder and separation anxiety disorder) patients.

Attachment Disorders

The ability to form attachments with other human beings is an essential skill that typically begins early in life. The parent/caregiver-child relationship is the first crucial relationship that an infant forms, and the health of this relationship has a profound effect on the child's social and emotional development. Children who form secure relationships with their parent or other primary caregiver have fewer internalizing and externalizing behaviors, are more socially competent, and have better-quality friendships. Conversely, children with attachment disorders exhibit a varying capacity to form and sustain relationships and demonstrate emotional depth, they and experience a higher level of peer conflict. Children with insecure attachments have a greater likelihood for physical health morbidities and impaired social, psychological, and neurobiological functioning extending into adulthood. It is crucial that pediatric nurse practitioners implement practice behaviors to better identify children at risk for attachment disorders and link them with appropriate interventions. This continuing education article will explore attachment; and attachment theory; and attachment disorders in terms of types, risk factors, consequences, and treatment and will also provide implications for practice.

Aligning the many definitions of treatment resistance in anxiety disorders: A systematic review

Anxiety Disorders often show a chronic course, even when treated with one of the various effective treatments available. Lack of treatment effect could be due to Treatment Resistance (TR). Consensus on a definition for TR Anxiety Disorders (TR-AD) is highly needed as currently many different operationalizations are in use. Therefore, generalizability in current TR-AD research is suboptimal, hampering improvement of clinical care. The objective of this review is to evaluate the currently used definitions of TR-AD by performing a systematic review of available literature. Out of a total of n = 13 042, 62 studies that operationalized TR-AD were included. The current review confirms a lack of consensus on TR-AD criteria. In 62.9% of the definitions, TR was deemed present after the first treatment failure. Most studies (93.0%) required pharmacological treatment failures, whereas few (29.0%) required psychological treatment failures. However, criteria for what constitutes "treatment failure" were not provided in the majority of studies (58.1%). Definitions for minimal treatment duration ranged from at least 4 weeks to at least 6 months. Almost half of the TR-AD definitions (46.8%) required elevated anxiety severity levels in TR-AD. After synthesis of the results, the consensus definition considers TR-AD present after both at least one first-line pharmacological and one psychological treatment failure, provided for an adequate duration (at least 8 weeks) with anxiety severity remaining above a specified threshold. This definition could contribute to improving course prediction and identifying more targeted treatment options for the highly burdened subgroup of TR-AD patients.

Please Don't Leave Me-Separation Anxiety and Related Traits in Borderline Personality Disorder

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

In light of the apparent symptomatic resemblance of separation anxiety disorder (SAD) symptoms on the one hand and abandonment fears, anxiousness, and separation insecurity central to borderline personality disorder (BPD) on the other hand, a comprehensive overview of separation anxiety and related traits in BPD is provided.

RECENT FINDINGS

Epidemiological, environmental, psychological, and neurobiological data connecting BPD to separation events, feelings of loneliness, insecure attachment styles, dimensional separation anxiety as well as SAD per se suggest a partly shared etiological pathway model underlying BPD and SAD. Differential diagnostic aspects and implications for treatment are discussed, highlighting separation anxiety as a promising transdiagnostic target for specific psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment approaches in BPD. This innovative angle on cross-disorder symptomatology might carry potential for novel preventive and therapeutic avenues in clinical practice by guiding the development of interventions specifically targeting separation anxiety and attachment-related issues in BPD.

A randomized controlled pilot trial of vilazodone for adult separation anxiety disorder

BACKGROUND

Separation anxiety disorder was recently recognized by fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a diagnosis in adults, but no publications to date have characterized a sample of patients seeking treatment for adult separation anxiety disorder (ASAD) or assessed treatment efficacy. We hypothesized that vilazodone, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and serotonin 1a (5HT1_a ) receptor partial agonist, would have efficacy in ASAD, because SSRIs have appeared efficacious in children with mixed diagnoses including separation anxiety disorder and in animal models of separation anxiety.

METHODS

In this pilot study, 24 adults (ages 18-60) with a principal diagnosis of ASAD were randomized to 12 weeks of double-blind treatment with vilazodone (n = 13) or placebo (n = 11). Outcome was assessed by an independent evaluator and self-ratings, and analyzed with mixed effect models.

RESULTS

This sample was predominantly female (67%), with comorbid psychiatric disorders (58%), and adult onset of separation anxiety disorder (62%). Response rates at week 12 did not differ significantly between groups. Across all time points, the vilazodone group evidenced greater improvement on the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms (P = .026) and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (P = .011), and trends toward greater improvement on the Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (P = .054) and the Clinical Global Impression-Change Scale (P = .086), all with large between-group effect sizes.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings demonstrate feasibility of a clinical trial in ASAD, and they suggest that vilazodone may have efficacy in the treatment of ASAD and warrants further study.

Oxytocin receptor and G-protein polymorphisms in patients with depression and separation anxiety

BACKGROUND

The impact of combined variants of Oxytocin Receptor (OXTR) and G protein β3 subunit genes was investigated in relation to retrospective reports of childhood as well as contemporary adult separation anxiety (SA), based on evidence of a β/γ dimer-mediated signaling for OXTR.

METHODS

A case-control association study (225 healthy adults and 188 outpatients with depression) was performed to establish Risk-Combined Genotype (RCG) of the studied variants (OXTR rs53576 and the functional Gβ3 subunit rs5443). Current SA was evaluated by the ASA-27 and retrospective childhood symptoms by the SASI. GG genotype of OXTR rs53576 combined with T-carrier genotype of Gβ3 rs5443 represented the RCG.

RESULTS

Compared to non-RCG, those with RCG had significantly higher levels of childhood and adult SA. The RCG was significantly associated with childhood SA threshold score (OR=2.85, 90%CI: 1.08-7.50). Childhood SA was, in turn, strongly associated with a threshold SA score in adulthood (OR=15.58; 95% CI: 4.62-52.59).

LIMITATIONS

Although the overall sample size is sizable, comparisons among subgroups with specific combination of alleles are based on relatively small numbers.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicates that variations in OXTR and Gβ3 genes are specifically associated with presence and severity of SA in childhood and adulthood, but not with depression or anxiety in general. Because there is increasing interest in oxytocin in social behavior, the gene-SA associations identified have potential translational and clinical relevance.