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Decomposing the Relationship Between Anxiety Sensitivity and Alcohol Use
Jesus Chavarria1, Nicholas P Allan1, Joseph W Boffa1
1Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
|November 13, 2015
Summary
General anxiety sensitivity (AS) is linked to alcohol misuse, but not specific concerns like cognitive or physical worries. A bifactor model revealed that overall AS, not its subfactors, predicts problematic alcohol use.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Substance Abuse Research
Background:
- Alcohol misuse is a significant public health concern with numerous negative health effects.
- Anxiety sensitivity (AS), the fear of anxiety-related sensations, is identified as a risk factor for problematic alcohol use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and alcohol-related outcomes using a bifactor model.
- To examine the distinct effects of the general AS factor and its subfactors (cognitive, physical, social concerns) on alcohol use behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a bifactor model of anxiety sensitivity.
- Analyzed data from 329 participants in a smoking-cessation intervention.
- Employed latent factor models to assess the impact of AS on alcohol use.
Main Results:
- The general anxiety sensitivity factor significantly predicted alcohol use problems.
- No significant associations were found between the AS subfactors (cognitive, physical, social) and alcohol use problems or consumption.
- Alcohol consumption was not significantly related to the general AS factor or its subfactors.
Conclusions:
- The general factor of anxiety sensitivity, rather than specific concerns, appears to drive the association with alcohol misuse.
- Findings challenge previous research suggesting a role for AS subfactors in alcohol-related outcomes.
- The bifactor model effectively isolated the variance attributable to general AS, clarifying its role in alcohol misuse.
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