Recollections of parent-child relationships in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic disorder with agoraphobia.

Objective: In previous studies, patients with different psychiatric conditions, as compared with matched controls, have reported that their parents were more protective and less caring towards them when they were children. However, studies investigating associations between parental behaviours and anxiety disorders have yielded inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to compare recalled parental behaviours in out-patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), in out-patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA), and in non-anxious controls.

Method: The sample included 43 out-patients with OCD, 38 with PDA, and 120 controls. Participants completed the Parental Bonding Instrument and the Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran or Own Memories of Parental Rearing Experiences in Childhood.

Results: No differences were found between the two anxious groups. However, compared with the control group, anxious patients recalled their parents as more protective.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that child rearing practices such as overprotection may be a risk factor in the development of anxiety disorders.