Beyond generalized anxiety: the association of anxiety sensitivity with disordered eating

Anxiety and eating disorders (EDs) are rising at alarming rates. These mental health disorders are often comorbid, yet the factors associated with their comorbidity are not well understood. The present study examined a theoretical model of the pathways and relative associations of anxiety sensitivity (AS) with different dimensions of ED risk, controlling for generalized anxiety.

Participants (N = 795) were undergraduate students with an average age of 21 (SD = 4.02), predominantly female (71%), and Hispanic (71.8%). Participants completed an online survey with established measures of AS (i.e., Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3; ASI-3), general anxiety (i.e., Beck Anxiety Inventory; BAI), and eating behaviors (i.e., Eating Attitudes Test-26; EAT-26).

The results of our structural equation models indicated that AS subscales were significantly associated with dimensions of the EAT-26, even when controlling for generalized anxiety. Specifically, the ASI-3 factors reflecting cognitive and social concerns provided the most consistent significant associations with EDs. Whereas reporting higher cognitive concerns was associated with higher ED symptoms (e.g., reporting the urge to vomit after a meal), reporting higher social concerns was associated with fewer ED symptoms. These differential results may suggest risk and resilience pathways and potential protective or buffering effects of social concerns on ED risk.

Findings advance understanding of the role of AS in the comorbidity of anxiety and EDs, demonstrating the strong association of AS with ED pathology. These findings provide cognitive indicators for transdiagnostic therapeutic intervention in order to reduce the risk of EDs.