Relationship Between Anxiety Symptoms and Age-Related Differences in Tic Severity

Tic disorders are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by movements or vocalizations, often accompanied by anxiety symptoms. However, the relationships between tic severity, age, and anxiety symptoms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the association between tic severity and age and examined how anxiety symptoms might influence this relationship.

Paediatric patients with tic disorders were recruited from the outpatient clinic of the in Department of Psychiatry at Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University. The final sample included 372 subjects (77 females, 295 males; mean age = 10.50 ± 2.70 years; age range: 6.33-15.92 years). Tic severity was assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS), while anxiety symptoms were measured using the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED).

We found a significant positive correlation between both total and subscale anxiety scores and tic severity. Furthermore, anxiety symptoms, particularly separation anxiety, were found to be significantly correlated with age-related differences in tic severity. In the high anxiety group, tic severity increased significantly with age, mirroring the overall trend. Conversely, in the low anxiety group, tic severity remained relatively stable with age.

Our findings highlight the role of anxiety in the progression of tic disorders and emphasize the importance of addressing anxiety in the clinical management of children with tic disorders.