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Related Experiment Videos

Anxiety sensitivity and panic attacks in a nonclinical population.

C D Donnell1, R J McNally

  • 1University of Health Sciences, Chicago Medical School, Department of Psychology, IL 60064-3095.

Behaviour Research and Therapy
|January 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

High anxiety sensitivity, the fear of anxiety, can develop without experiencing panic attacks. This suggests fear of anxiety can be learned through means other than direct personal experience with panic.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Anxiety Disorders

Background:

  • Anxiety sensitivity, defined as the fear of anxiety-related sensations, is a key factor in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders.
  • The relationship between anxiety sensitivity and the experience of panic attacks, particularly unpredictable ones, remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether high anxiety sensitivity occurs independently of a history of unpredictable panic attacks.
  • To determine if unpredictable panic attacks are a necessary precursor for developing high anxiety sensitivity.

Main Methods:

  • Administered the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and a modified Panic Attack Questionnaire (PAQ) to 425 college students.
  • Grouped participants into high, medium, and low anxiety sensitivity based on ASI scores.

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  • Assessed personal and family history of panic attacks.

    • Main Results:

    • High anxiety sensitivity subjects reported a greater personal and family history of panic compared to other groups.
    • Two-thirds of subjects with high anxiety sensitivity had never experienced an unpredictable panic attack.
    • This indicates that anxiety sensitivity can be acquired without direct experience of panic.

    Conclusions:

    • High anxiety sensitivity can develop in the absence of a history of unpredictable panic attacks.
    • Personal experience with panic is not a prerequisite for developing a fear of anxiety.
    • Alternative pathways, such as observational learning or cognitive factors, may contribute to the development of anxiety sensitivity.