Parenting received in childhood and early separation anxiety in male conscripts with adjustment disorder

The purpose of this study was to investigate parenting received in childhood and early separation anxiety experiences in young male soldiers with adjustment disorder. Fifty-four conscripts suffering from adjustment disorder completed the following questionnaires: the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Measurement of Parental Style (MOPS), and the Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (SASI). Seventy-eight conscripts, matched for age and education, were used as a control sample. The research showed that compared with the controls, patients had significantly increased scores on the SCL-90-R (p < 0.001), the SASI (p < 0.03), and the father's and mother's MOPS Abuse subscale (p < 0.001). The father's MOPS Abuse score, the mother's MOPS Overcontrol score, and the SASI score were also significantly correlated with the SCL-90-R score (p < 0.01). Finally, a patient's separation anxiety can be predicted from the mother's overcontrol behavior, and the severity of the disorder can be predicted from the father's abuse behavior. These findings are in agreement with previous findings in patients with depression and anxiety disorders.