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Table 4 Age of onset of comorbid disorders, as a function of the number of specific phobia subtypes

From: Childhood generalized specific phobia as an early marker of internalizing psychopathology across the lifespan: results from the World Mental Health Surveys

Comorbid disorder

Number of subtypes

Test of linear effect (whole sample)

Test of linear effect (SP cases only)

0

1

2

3

4+

Median (IQR)

Median (IQR)

Median (IQR)

Median (IQR)

Median (IQR)

OR (95% CI)

p value

OR (95% CI)

p value

Agoraphobia

21 (13–35)

21 (13–39)

20 (13–40)

16 (8–31)

12 (8–17)

1.2* (1.1–1.2)

< 0.001

1.3* (1.2–1.4)

< 0.001

Generalized anxiety disorder

39 (26–54)

37 (24–52)

35 (21–52)

33 (20–44)

28 (18–46)

1.2* (1.1–1.2)

< 0.001

1.2* (1.1–1.2)

< 0.001

Panic disorder

33 (21–49)

29 (19–41)

35 (18–60)

24 (14–41)

18 (11–27)

1.2* (1.2–1.3)

< 0.001

1.2* (1.1–1.3)

< 0.001

Post-traumatic stress disorder

36 (21–54)

33 (20–49)

36 (19–53)

35 (19–75)

33 (19–64)

1.1* (1.0–1.1)

0.002

1.1 (1.0–1.2)

0.166

Separation anxiety disorder

19 (10–31)

19 (8–29)

18 (8–30)

14 (8–36)

17 (8–28)

1.0 (1.0–1.1)

0.074

1.0 (1.0–1.1)

0.235

Social anxiety disorder

14 (9–18)

13 (10–16)

13 (8–16)

13 (8–17)

12 (7–15)

1.2* (1.1–1.2)

< 0.001

1.3* (1.3–1.4)

< 0.001

Major depression/dysthymia

38 (25–53)

33 (22–48)

34 (21–51)

30 (18–50)

29 (15–46)

1.2* (1.1–1.2)

< 0.001

1.1* (1.0–1.2)

0.001

Bipolar disorder

25 (18–38)

26 (18–44)

28 (19–45)

33 (20–45)

24 (18–32)

1.0 (1.0–1.1)

0.169

1.2* (1.1–1.3)

0.001

  1. Median age of onset was determined using the actuarial method. Differences in age of onset were tested with a discrete-time logistic regression, with the sample limited to participants who developed the comorbid disorder, and with number of early phobia subtypes time-varying until age 13
  2. *p < 0.005