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Anxiety sensitivity as a predictor of panic attacks.
Lukasz Struzik1, Monica Vermani, James Duffin
1Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health-Clarke Division, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 1R8.
Psychiatry Research
|January 22, 2005
Summary
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) did not reliably predict panic responses in panic disorder patients or controls during CO2 challenges. Specific AS items showed correlations, but overall scores did not confirm AS as a primary cause of panic attacks.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Neuroscience
Background:
- Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of anxiety-related physical sensations.
- AS is hypothesized to play a key role in the development of panic disorder (PD) and panic attacks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether AS accurately predicts panic responses.
- To examine the relationship between AS and panic induction in PD patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) scores were collected from PD patients and controls.
- Panic was induced using a modified Read rebreathing test under hypoxic and hyperoxic conditions.
- Spearman correlations assessed the relationship between ASI scores and panic presence.
Main Results:
- Specific ASI items correlated with panic in controls and PD patients under different conditions.
- However, total ASI scores and first-order factor scores did not significantly correlate with panic presence in either group.
- This suggests AS may not be a reliable predictor of panicogenic responses to CO2.
Conclusions:
- Anxiety sensitivity may not be a reliable predictor of panic attacks in response to CO2-induced panic challenges.
- AS might not be a direct causal factor in the genesis of panic attacks.