Romanian Culture Specific Expression and Psychological Impact of Anxiety

摘要

Purpose of the study: To investigate if a Romanian sample of anxious subjects entirely fulfilled the current ICD-10 diagnostic criteria, if there were sub threshold panic attacks, to describe specific symptoms and the subjective impact. Methods: Romanian 56 subjects consented to participate in the current study, diagnosed with panic disorder with/without agoraphobia, mainly as outpatients. Eligibility criteria were the presence of recurrent panic attacks associated or not with avoidant behavior and the absence of any organic cause or substance abuse that could mimic the psychiatric disorder. Prior to the application of the psychometric tools took place a discussion that allowed the description of the main complains. A semi-structured interview (ADIS-R) has been followed by STAI-S, STAI-T, HAM-A, CGI, GAF. Tools assessing anxious state were applied investigating two moments: during the panic attack and currently. Results: Subjects were predominantly active women, mean age (38.2 years). Regarding the occurrence style, the majority reported spontaneous panic attacks (65.85%), while quit few experienced situation triggered panic attacks. Even though sub threshold panic attacks were present in 42.22% of patients more than five times/months, their subjective impact has been judged as moderate. Anxious symptoms, rated during the occurrence of the panic attack, have been appreciated as more severe than during the interview (STAI-S mean=64.9; SD=8.11) vs. 58.63 (SD=8.77) at F=1.17, t=1, 78. The description of the symptom fitted into the diagnostic criteria in a proportion of 61%. Those patients described bothering symptoms such as: cephaleea, occipital tension, attention difficulties, blurred vision, tinnitus, digestive and urinary symptoms. Discussion: The predominance of somatic complaints fits into the so called "black box in somatisation" (Waitzkin &Magana, 1997). The first prospective research project, aiming at the description of anxiety in ethnic minorities, is ongoing (Weisberg et al., 2012). Conclusions: Romanian anxious patients experiment the general symptoms of anxiety but are bothered by some specific symptoms, severe enough in order to impact their functioning.