The roles of anxiety and depression in connecting tic severity and functional impairment

Adam B Lewin; Eric A Storch; Christine A Conelea; Douglas W Woods; Samuel H Zinner; Cathy L Budman; Lawrence D Scahill; Scott N Compton; John T Walkup; Tanya K Murphy

doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.08.016

The roles of anxiety and depression in connecting tic severity and functional impairment

J Anxiety Disord. 2011 Mar;25(2):164-8. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.08.016.

Authors

Adam B Lewin¹, Eric A Storch, Christine A Conelea, Douglas W Woods, Samuel H Zinner, Cathy L Budman, Lawrence D Scahill, Scott N Compton, John T Walkup, Tanya K Murphy

Affiliation

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Rothman Center for Neuropsychiatry, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701, United States. alewin@health.usf.edu

PMID: 20889290
DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.08.016

Abstract

The current study examined relationships between tic severity and both functional impairment and perceived quality of life (QOL) in adults with a chronic tic disorder. The authors explored whether these relationships were moderated by anxiety and depressive symptoms. Five-hundred adults with Tourette's Disorder, Chronic Motor Tic Disorder, or Chronic Vocal Tic Disorder participated in a comprehensive self-report internet-based survey. Anxiety and depressive symptoms moderated the relationship between tic severity and functional impairment such that stronger relationships were documented in participants with elevated depressive or anxious symptoms. Limitations and implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

MeSH terms

Analysis of Variance
Anxiety / psychology*
Depression / psychology*
Health Surveys
Humans
Internet
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Quality of Life / psychology*
Self Report
Severity of Illness Index
Tic Disorders / psychology*