Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2026

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
Published on: September 12, 2014
Heightened embarrassability discriminates between panic disorder patients with and without agoraphobia
H Swoboda1, U Demal, M Krautgartner
1Department of Psychiatry, Section of Social Psychiatry and Evaluative Research, University Hospital, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria. hemma.swoboda@univie.ac.at
Abstract:
Embarrassability refers to an individual's general susceptibility to becoming embarrassed and is closely linked to another personality characteristic known as fear of negative evaluation. To find out if panic disorder patients with and without agoraphobia differ in terms of embarrassability and fear of negative evaluation 100 patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of panic disorder with agoraphobia, 30 patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of uncomplicated panic disorder and 80 controls were administered the Embarrassability Scale and the 12-item version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Depressive mood in the clinical group was assessed with the help of the Beck Depression Inventory. Comparisons between these three groups, between patients with mild, moderate, and severe phobic avoidance and between male and female subjects were carried out. Patients with agoraphobic avoidance showed significantly higher scores on both scales than patients with uncomplicated panic disorder and controls and women generally showed higher embarrassability scores than men. We conclude that heightened embarrassability is an important characteristic of patients suffering from panic disorder with agoraphobia.
Related Concept Videos
Panic Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety: Overview
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Social Anxiety Disorder
Preparedness and Phobias
