The Anxiety Sensitivity Index - Revised: psychometric properties and factor structure in two nonclinical samples

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of anxiety-related sensations based on beliefs about their harmful consequences. Despite its status as the most popular measure of AS, the anxiety sensitivity index is too abbreviated to adequately measure the somatic, cognitive, and social facets of the construct. The Anxiety Sensitivity Index - Revised (ASI-R) is a revised and expanded version of the ASI that was developed to improve the assessment of AS and its dimensions. The present study was conducted to examine the psychometric properties and factor structure of the ASI-R. Two large undergraduate samples completed a psychometric assessment package that included the ASI-R and measures of anxiety, depression, and related constructs. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four lower-order ASI-R factors: (1) beliefs about the harmful consequences of somatic sensations; (2) fear of publicly observable anxiety reactions; (3) fear of cognitive dyscontrol; and (4) fear of somatic sensations without explicit consequences. These factors loaded on a single, higher-order factor. Correlations between the ASI-R factors and related variables were consistent with AS theory. Results across both samples in the present study were highly similar. The strengths and limitations of the ASI-R are discussed, and the implications of our findings for the nature and measurement of AS are considered.