Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (Jan 2023)
Impact of Childhood Trauma and Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder on Quality of Life in Individuals with Schizophrenia
Abstract
Mahmut Onur Karaytuğ,1 Lut Tamam,1 Mehmet Emin Demirkol,1 Zeynep Namlı,1 Mahmut Gürbüz,2 Caner Yeşiloğlu3 1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey; 2Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, St. Elisabeth Hospital, Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein Westfalen, Germany; 3Department of Psychiatry, Ahi Evran University, Kırşehir, TurkeyCorrespondence: Mehmet Emin Demirkol, Mahmut Onur Karaytuğ, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Balcalı Campus, Sarıçam, Adana, 01330, Turkey, Tel +90 322 338 60 60, Fax +90 322 338 65 72, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: 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.Keywords: schizophrenia, adult separation anxiety disorder, childhood trauma, quality of life
