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Anxiety sensitivity profile: dimensional structure and relationship with temperament and character
Willem Van der Does1, Inge Duijsens, Elisabeth Eurelings-Bontekoe
1Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. vanderdoes@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
|June 7, 2003
Summary
The Anxiety Sensitivity Profile (ASP) may be shortened from 60 to 24 items without losing reliability. This validated measure of anxiety sensitivity shows weak links to harm avoidance temperament.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Anxiety sensitivity (AS) predicts panic attacks.
- The Anxiety Sensitivity Profile (ASP) is a newer, more comprehensive measure of AS.
- Preliminary evidence suggests the ASP has 4 dimensions.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the dimensional structure of the ASP.
- Examine the relationship between ASP scores and temperament/character traits.
Main Methods:
- Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of ASP scores in 742 psychiatric outpatients and controls.
- Correlations between ASP scores and temperament/character traits.
Main Results:
- Exploratory factor analysis suggested a single AS factor.
- Confirmatory factor analysis supported a 6-dimensional structure, but with too many items.
- ASP scores showed a weak relationship with harm avoidance, confirming prior findings.
Conclusions:
- The ASP can be shortened from 60 to 24 items without compromising reliability or content.
- Future research should explore the utility of a shortened ASP using challenge paradigms and general hospital patients.