Fear and Social Self-esteem in Individuals Suffering from Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia

Abstract

Abstract Panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) is often related to other serious psychological disorders. Studies show that this disorder is often linked to depression, suicidal manifestations, drug and alcohol abuse. PDA extensively affects the individuals' daily functioning. Indeed, eighty percent of affected individuals would have a restricted psychosocial integration. Yet, to our knowledge, no study has explored the possible relationships between PDA and social self-esteem, which is defined as the perception of one's competencies while in interaction with others. This study was designed to explore the relationships between fear level and social self-esteem in individuals suffering from PDA and in normal control subjects. Two groups of French-speaking Canadians (N=59) completed French translations of the Social Self-Esteem Inventory and the Fear Survey Schedule. Significant between-group differences were found on both questionnaires. Furthermore, significant correlations were observed between fear leve...