No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Hierarchical structure and general factor saturation of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index: Evidence and implications.
Abstract
The Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) is one of the most widely used measures of the construct of anxiety sensitivity. Until the recent introduction of a hierarchical model of the ASI by S. O. Lilienfeld, S. M. Turner, and R. G. Jacob (1993), the factor structure of the ASI was the subject of debate, with some researchers advocating a unidimensional structure and others proposing multidimensional structures. In the present study, involving 432 outpatients seeking treatment at an anxiety disorders clinic and 32 participants with no mental disorder, the authors tested a hierarchical factor model. The results supported a hierarchical factor structure consisting of 3 lower order factors and 1 higher order factor. It is estimated that the higher order, general factor accounts for 60% of the variance in ASI total scores. The implications of these findings for the conceptualization and assessment of anxiety sensitivity are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
... Group factors were predicted to correspond to the physical concerns, mental incapacitation concerns, and social concerns factors that have consistently emerged in studies of younger adults (e.g., Zinbarg et al.. 1999). As noted by Zinbarg, Barlow, and Brown (1997), the existence of a general factor at the highest level of the hierarchy does not in and of itself justify the use of a total score, unless suggested by estimates that the general factor accounts for a sizable proportion of the variance in ASI total scores. Thus, based on the results of Zinbarg et al. (1997) from a sample of younger adult patients, the general factor was expected to account for at least 50% of the variance in ASI total scores, suggesting that total ASI scores are interpretable in older adult samples. ...
... As noted by Zinbarg, Barlow, and Brown (1997), the existence of a general factor at the highest level of the hierarchy does not in and of itself justify the use of a total score, unless suggested by estimates that the general factor accounts for a sizable proportion of the variance in ASI total scores. Thus, based on the results of Zinbarg et al. (1997) from a sample of younger adult patients, the general factor was expected to account for at least 50% of the variance in ASI total scores, suggesting that total ASI scores are interpretable in older adult samples. ...
... This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. model proposed by Zinbarg et al. (1997) to the current data. Items were assigned to group factors in the multidimensional models on Ihc basis of their largest loadings from Zinbarg et al.'s (1997) Zinbarg et al., 1999), replication of their solution in the current analysis would imply similar convergence with past studies conducted on younger adult samples. ...
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) has been defined as the fear of symptoms of anxiety and panic, and is most frequently assessed with the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (Peterson & Reiss, 1987). To investigate the nature and structure of AS in an older sample, data were collected from a sample of 322 adults aged 65 to 97, with mean age 75. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a hierarchical structure with three group factors (physical concerns, mental incapacitation concerns, and social concerns), as well as a general factor, consistent with previous investigations. Results suggest that the nature and structure of the AS trait in older adults are highly similar to those of younger adults.
... Other studies support the factorial structure of the four lower level factors: a) fear of cardiovascular symptoms, b) fear of publicly observable anxiety reactions, c) fear of loss of cognitive control, d) fear of respiratory symptoms (Rodriguez, Bruce & Pagano, 2004;Taylor and Cox, 1998). Most studies support the three-factor lower structure option with one higher factor (Stewart et al., 1997;Taylor, 1995;Zinbarg, Barlow & Brown, 1997). ...
... In the three-factorial option, most often extracted are the following factors (Zinbarg et al., 1997): physical concerns (ASI physical), psychological concerns (ASI psychological) and social concerns (ASI Social). "Physical concern" refers to the fear of somatic sensations such as: fear of palpitations (e.g. ...
... Rector, Szacun-Shimizu and Leybman (2007) (Zinbarg et al., 1997), as well as researches by Rodriguez et al. (2001). ...
Anxiety sensitivity is an individual cognitive predisposition to arouse fear of anxiety and anxiety related symptoms. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) in Serbia, on the sample of a clinical and non clinical population (N=140). The sample engaged 70 participants diagnosed with anxiety disorder, and 70 of non clinical population, 27.14% male and 72.85% female, average age 40 years old. Descriptive statistics, Principal component analyisis, Cronbach's alpha, Pearson's coefficient of correlation (ASI with STAI-S and STAI-T) were used. The results confirmed three-factor structure of ASI (physical concern, psychological concern, social concern) with a higher-order factor. Mean value is 32.89 (SD=14.75) for participants with diagnosed anxiety disorder, and for non clinical sample is M=18.57 (SD=12.18). Cronbach's alpha is α=0.88 (physical concern, α=0.87; Psychological concern, α=0.77; Social concern, α=0.56). Correlation between ASI and STAI-S is r=0.567 and between ASI and STAI-T is r=0.668. There are no significant differences by gender. Three-factor structure and valid psychometric properties of Serbian version of ASI, in clinical and non-clinical population, are obtained in this research and confirm the results from other reasearches worldwide. The possibility of applying anxiety sensitivity concept and measurement in sport might be of great importance.
... QoL was assessed using WHOQOL-BREF, a 26-item questionnaire rated on a five-point Likert scale for general QoL and 4 subdomains [psychological, physical, social and environmental QoL (43)]. Anxiety sensitivity was assessed using the Anxiety Sensitivity Index [ASI, 16 items, scale scores 0-64; three-factorial latent structure (44)]. For questionnaires with test manuals including instructions about how to handle missing values, those instructions were followed when calculating sum scores for respective (sub-)scales (42,43,45). ...
... all p < 0.001, all r = 0.38) (Figure 1). A confirmatory factor analysis replicated the three-factorial latent structure of the ASI (anxiety sensitivity index) including physical concerns ("ASI physical"), mental incapacitation concerns ("ASI mental"), and social concerns ("ASI social") as lower-order factors [see Supplementary material; (44)]. However, even though the three-factorial model properly described the data and almost all items showed significant and large item loadings (i.e., >0.75), two items had somewhat lower loadings (Item 1 and Item 5 of "ASI social" lower-order factor: "It is important to me not to appear nervous" "It is important to me to stay in control of my emotions"). ...
Background
Quality of life (QoL) is substantially impaired in patients with anxiety disorders (AD) and depressive disorders (DD) and improvements in symptom burden after psychotherapy are not always paralleled by similar improvements in QoL. So far, little is known about treatment outcome in terms of QoL and predictors of QoL improvements following inpatient psychotherapy with a focus on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). The current study aimed at investigating the relationship between changes in symptoms and QoL across different life domains. Additionally, predictors of a positive treatment outcome were evaluated.
Methods
122 patients with AD and/or DD undergoing an 8-weeks inpatient CBT program completed self-report measures of psychopathological symptoms and QoL at pre- and post-treatment. Mixed effects models were used to investigate changes, a confirmatory factor analysis was applied to analyze the latent factor structure of the anxiety sensitivity index and binary logistic regression analyses were performed for predictors of QoL improvements.
Results
Patients showed moderate to strong decreases in anxious and depressive symptoms and moderate to strong improvements in general QoL, particularly in the psychological and physical QoL subdomains. Changes in symptom burden correlated most strongly with psychological and physical QoL. In addition, poor QoL before treatment and low levels of specific anxiety sensitivity symptoms (items 1 and 5) significantly predicted improvement in QoL.
Conclusion
Patients with poor QoL who are not as inhibited to openly express their anxious feelings particularly benefit from inpatient psychotherapy (individual and group) to improve their QoL. In contrast, our research suggests that patients who are too anxious to openly express their nervousness should receive additional social skills training, more focused treatment to build sufficient self-confidence to better engage in the treatment program.
... An additional cognitive risk factor affecting O-C symptoms is anxiety sensitivity, a trait-like characteristic that can predispose an individual to fear anxiety related sensations, in particular to physical, psychological and social concerns [26]. Anxiety sensitivity differs from trait anxiety, in specifically fearing the anxiety symptoms rather than being fearful of a range of stressors. ...
... For example, the use of the original measures of the ASI and OCI were selected for use in the current study due to their good psychometric properties, but the decision not to use the most recent versions have raised significant limitation to note. While the ASI remains the most adopted measure of anxiety sensitivity [54], the 18-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 has been shown to improve the basic psychometric criteria of the original scales, with the three subscales accounting for 76% of the variance compared to 60% of the original scale [26]. The original OCI is also a widely used and validated self-report measures, however when the scale was created, hoarding symptoms were coded under obsessive-compulsive disorder. ...
Background:
Metacognition has been shown as a key contributor to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as well as other anxiety-related disorders, yet its role in the development and maintenance of these disorders remains unclear. This study aims to investigate whether anxiety sensitivity traits are related to obsessive-compulsive symptoms in the general population and whether the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms is mediated by metacognition.
Methods:
Non-clinical volunteers (N = 156, mean age: 23.97, 121 females) completed measures related to state/trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, obsessive compulsive symptoms and metacognition.
Results:
A direct relationship between anxiety sensitivity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms was established. Further analysis revealed that metacognition was the strongest mediator of this relationship, even when accounting for state and trait anxiety.
Conclusions:
Results suggest that the relationships between traits of anxiety sensitivity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms are partially attributable to the role of metacognition.
... Pain-related fear and pain-related anxiety are related, yet distinct constructs. Although additional work is needed to fully disentangle the relationship between pain-related fear and pain-related anxiety, theoretical conceptualizations suggest that fear involves a visceral, mobilization for action ("fight-flight-freeze") in response to a threat, whereas anxiety involves a cognitive-affective response in the absence of a readily identifiable threat (Zinbarg et al. 1997). Consistent with these perspectives, fear typically motivates defensive behaviors (e.g., escape), whereas anxiety typically motivates preventative behaviors (e.g., avoidance; Leeuw et al. 2007). ...
... Anxiety sensitivity has been positively correlated with the activation of prefrontal brain regions that influence self-focused attentional processes (Ochsner et al. 2006). The anxiety sensitivity construct is believed to consist of physical, mental, and social fear components (Zinbarg et al. 1997), and is often assessed using the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (Reiss et al. 1986), the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (Taylor et al. 2007), and the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (Taylor and Cox 1998). These measures ask respondents to indicate their agreement with several statements that cover physical, mental, and publicly observable experiences. ...
Despite the notable prevalence and comorbidity of tobacco cigarette dependence and chronic pain, relatively little is known about potential mechanisms of action. Research has emphasized the utility of identifying core underlying dimensions that reflect shared etiological processes, and it has been posited that anxiety-relevant transdiagnostic factors may be particularly important to understanding pain-smoking comorbidity. This review examined the empirical literature linking pain-related fear (fear of pain and activities that elicit pain), pain-related anxiety (anxious responses to pain), and anxiety sensitivity (degree to which the experience of anxiety is expected to have deleterious consequences) to both chronic pain and tobacco cigarette smoking. We then integrated this literature to inform a conceptual model explicating the function of anxiety-relevant transdiagnostic factors in pain-tobacco smoking comorbidity. Finally, we drew upon this conceptual model to highlight novel clinical implications and inform future research.
... Scores range from 0 to 64 [39]. The structure of this questionnaire consists of three factors of fear of future concerns (8 questions), fear of lack of cognitive control (4 questions) and fear of observing anxiety by others (4 questions) [40]. The psychometric properties of this scale show its high internal stability (alpha ranging from 0.80 to 0.90). ...
... Furthermore, panic symptoms are more accurately predicted by original ASI scores than by trait anxiety (Peterson & Plehn, 1999). A three-factor structure, which includes a social concerns factor, has been reported (Rodriguez et al., 2004;Zinbarg et al., 1997). ...
... Ahora bien, un constructo nuevo que se ha asociado a la ansiedad y el estrés es el de la sensibilidad a la ansiedad, que consiste en el miedo a los síntomas de ansiedad y que se constituye como un factor que predispone al desarrollo de trastornos de ansiedad (27) . Además, presenta una estructura jerárquica que comprende tres factores: preocupaciones físicas, preocupaciones sobre la incapacidad mental y preocupaciones sociales (28) , que también se conocen como sensibilidad a la ansiedad somática, sensibilidad a la ansiedad cognitiva y sensibilidad a la ansiedad social, y que se han asociado fuertemente al trastorno de pánico, la depresión y la fobia social, respectivamente (29) . ...
Introducción:
La sensibilidad a la ansiedad es un constructo poco conocido, y que sin embargo tiene un importante valor clínico, por ser un potente predictor de los trastornos de ansiedad, tanto en niños, como adolescentes y adultos. En Perú existen pocas pruebas psicométricas que evalúan la ansiedad en niños, y menos aún sobre sensibilidad a la ansiedad.
Objetivo:
En esta investigación se realiza un análisis psicométrico del Índice de Sensibilidad para Niños con la finalidad de estimar la validez y la confiabilidad de esta prueba que no ha sido aplicada en población peruana.
Método:
Se tomó una muestra no probabilística de 568 escolares de entre 8 y 12 años de cinco instituciones educativas de la ciudad de Arequipa, en Perú. Los datos se procesaron mediante el Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio de Grupo Múltiple utilizando el programa R.
Resultados:
Los resultados confirmaron una estructura de dos factores: Miedo a las sensaciones corporales y Miedo a síntomas mentales y sociales, con índices de confiabilidad aceptables calculados mediante la prueba Omega de McDonald.
Conclusión:
Se concluye que la prueba es válida y confiable, pero se sugiere profundizar en el análisis psicométrico de este instrumento.
... It is a relatively stable, but malleable, construct (Taylor, 1999). The global anxiety sensitivity construct encompasses lower-order fears of physical, mental, and publicly observable experiences (Zinbarg, Barlow, & Brown, 1997). Anxiety sensitivity is theorized to amplify anxiety-related responding to somatic perturbation. ...
The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with an increased prevalence of mental health problems and addictive behaviors. There is a growing theoretical and empirical evidence that individual differences in interoceptive anxiety-related processes are a one set of vulnerability factors that are important in understanding the impact of pandemic-related mental health problems and addictive behavior. However, there has not been a comprehensive effort to explore this rapidly growing body of research and its implications for public health. In this paper, we discuss why interoceptive anxiety-related processes are relevant to understanding mental health and addictive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. We then provide a narrative review of the available COVID-19 literature linking interoceptive fear and anxiety-related processes (e.g., anxiety sensitivity, health anxiety, and COVID-19 anxiety, fear, and worry) to mental health and addictive behaviors. We then propose a novel transdiagnostic theoretical model that highlights the role of interoceptive anxiety-related processes in mental health and addictive behavior in the context of the present and future pandemics. In the final section, we utilize this conceptualization to underscore clinical implications and provide guidance for future research initiatives in the management of COVID-19 mental health and addictive behaviors and inform the public health field for future pandemics.
... Une valeur supérieure à 0.70 est considérée comme satisfaisante (Béland et al., 2017). Propre au modèle bifactoriel, le coefficient Oméga Hiérarchique propose d'estimer la proportion de variance due au seul facteur général, en considérant dans l'analyse, la variance attribuable aux facteurs de groupe comme erreur de mesure (McDonald, 1999 ;Zinbarg et al., 1997 ;Zinbarg et al., 2005 ;Zinbarg et al., 2006). L'Oméga Hiérarchique des Sous-échelles est un indice qui reflète la proportion de variance attribuable à chaque facteur spécifique après contrôle de la variance causé par le facteur général (Reise et al., 2013a). ...
Résumé
L’objectif de cet article est de présenter l’adaptation et la validation de l’Échelle de Positivité (Caprara, Alessandri, Eisenberg, Kupfer, Steca, Caprara, & Abela, 2012) à travers trois études réalisées auprès de 840 adultes. La positivité, qui est le facteur commun et latent entre l’estime de soi, l’optimisme et la satisfaction de vie (Alessandri, Caprara, & Tisak, 2012 ; Caprara, Steca, Alessandri, Abela, & McWhinnie, 2010), est « la tendance à voir la vie et les expériences avec une vision positive » (Caprara et al., 2012, p. 701). L’analyse factorielle confirmatoire soutient l’unidimensionnalité du facteur G Positivité, coexistant avec deux facteurs spécifiques, l’Optimisme et l’Estime de soi. L’instrument atteste d’une très bonne fiabilité et le haut niveau de stabilité temporelle indique une très bonne fidélité. La validité a été démontrée par une bonne convergence avec l’estime de soi, l’optimisme, la satisfaction de vie ainsi que l’affect positif et par une bonne divergence avec l’affect négatif. L’étude de la validité discriminante établit qu’elle se différencie des échelles mesurant l’estime de soi, l’optimisme et la satisfaction de vie. L’étude de la validité incrémentielle montre qu’elle est capable de contribuer de manière significative, par l’effet de trois construits en une dimension unique, à la prédiction de phénomène psychologique. Cette recherche permet de disposer d’une échelle valide en 7 items pour mesurer la positivité en langue française.
... Quant à la structure factorielle de l'ASI, elle varie selon les études. Selon les méthodes de calcul et l'échantillon utilisés, le nombre de facteurs de l'ASI varie de 1 à 4. Certains auteurs (Reiss et al., 1986;Taylor et al., 1991) privilégient une structure unidimensionnelle et d'autres (Peterson et Heilbronner, 1987;Telch et al., 1989), une structure multidimensionnelle. Zinbarg, Barlow et Brown (1997) rapportent que l'ASI se composerait d'un facteur général regroupant trois facteurs : la peur des sensations somatiques, la peur des sensations cognitives et la peur des symptômes publiquement observables. Finalement, l'ASI possède une bonne validité différentielle. ...
... AS refers to the fear of negative consequences stemming from maladaptive interpretations related to their experience of anxious arousal (Reiss et al., 1986). Previous research (Taylor et al., 2007;Zinbarg et al., 1997) has identified three lower-order dimensions of AS including fears of physical, cognitive, and social consequences of anxious arousal. For example, trouble concentrating or racing thoughts may be interpreted as "going crazy" or "losing one's mind" (i.e., cognitive concerns). ...
Background
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a well-studied transdiagnostic risk construct that is believed to amplify responses to many forms of stress. The COVID-19 pandemic is a broad stressor with significant physical and social threats. In the current study, we were interested in ascertaining the degree to which AS would relate to distress and disability in the context of COVID-19. We hypothesized that AS would be associated with increased distress and disability. Moreover, we hypothesized that AS would be uniquely predictive while controlling for other relevant risk factors such as age, race, and perceived local COVID infection rates.
Method
Participants (N = 249) were U.S. adults assessed using online data resourcing and followed one month later.
Results
At the first time point, during the beginning phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, AS was significantly related to COVID distress and disability with a moderate effect size. AS was longitudinally associated with higher COVID worry and depression.
Limitations
Our findings are limited by the use of a relatively small online sample. Additionally, assessment of pre-pandemic and post-pandemic symptoms and functioning would be beneficial for future research.
Conclusions
Taken together, the current study provided evidence consistent with AS as a causal risk factor for the development of distress and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.
... Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 Reiss et al. (1986) introduced the first version of the ASI-3 as a unidimensional scale with good psychometric properties. Subsequent studies have shown that the structure of this index is multifactorial, meaning that it consists of a higher-order factor of AS and three lower-order factors that include fear of somatic sensations, fear of cognitive dyscontrol, and fear of publicly observable anxiety symptoms (Asmundson, Weeks, Carleton, Thibodeau, & Fetzner, 2011;Zinbarg, Barlow, & Brown, 1997). Currently, the ASI-3 is the most commonly used scale for AS. ...
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a common vulnerability in emotional disorders. Due to the pathological role of AS, individuals with high AS are faced with emotional problems. Thus, cognitive behavioural interventions try to reduce these problems by targeting AS. The present study aimed to compare the efficacy of transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural therapy (T-CBT) and construct-specific CBT (CS-CBT) on AS, anxiety, depression, and positive and negative affect in these patients. To this end, 40 patients with high AS were randomly assigned to one of the three groups of T-CBT, CS-CBT, and wait list. Participants were assessed using the Anxiety and Related Disorders Interview Schedule for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at baseline, post-treatment, 3-month follow-up, and 6-month follow-up. The findings showed that T-CBT and CS-CBT have a significant effect on AS, anxiety, and negative affect; however, contrary to T-CBT, CS-CBT is not effective for reducing depression and positive affect. T-CBT had a more promising efficacy than CS-CBT in all treatment outcomes. The results show better and more stable efficacy of T-CBT among patients with high AS. It is essential to consider AS as a target for cognitive behavioural intervention for the spectrum of emotional disorders.
... Lot of researches have been done to differentiate the two perspectives whether anxiety sensitivity is a form of learned behavior or a trait (Reiss et al., 1986). However, Taylor (1995) proposed that there are three basic proportions of anxiety sensitivity, i.e. anxious reaction on (a) fear of publicly noticeable reactions (b) fear of rational and cognitive decontrol; and (c) fear of somatic sensations such as cardiac sensations, arising from the fear of palpitations Later, a subsequent factor analytic research by Zinbarg, Barlow and Brown (1997) found that the ASI has three domains i.e. Physical, Cognitive, and Social. ...
Male= 160, Female= 160) who were selected randomly form various educational institution of Gujranwala city. The age range of the participants was 12 to 19 years with (M=16.7, SD=1.81). The significant findings of the reliability analyses indicated a Cronbach's alpha value of .86 for the internal consistency. Whereas the split half reliability coefficient of .81 indicated that the adapted version of ASI-R is reliable measure to assess anxiety sensitivity among adolescents in indigenous settings.
... ostracism). Zinbarg et al. (1997) recommend formalising the three lower order factors into three ASI subscales for clinical and research purposes. These authors determined concurrent validity by comparing profiles of subscales with profiles of participants who had different principal anxiety disorder diagnoses. ...
The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence, aetiology and maintenance of poor psychological morbidity following a minor road traffic accident (RTA). A prospective longitudinal research design was employed and participants completed assessments within one month of their RTA and three months later. It was anticipated that, in accordance with published empirical evidence, participants would report clinically significant levels of anxiety, depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Informed by recent cognitive conceptualisations of PTSD (e.g. Ehlers and Clark, 2000; Brewin et al., 1996) it was hypothesised that a number of psychological factors would predict and maintain PTSD. It was found that in this sample of minor-RTA victims clinically significant levels of anxiety, depression and PTSD were present. Further examination revealed that PTSD could be significantly predicted by a number of independent variables. Anxiety sensitivity, immediate post-traumatic reaction and peri-traumatic dissociation were all found to predict PTSD. Negative interpretation of symptoms, rumination and thought suppression (taken together) were found to heavily mediate the relationships of all these predictive factors with follow-up PTSD. These maintenance factors were the only variables to independently and significantly predict follow-up PTSD. The results reinforce the importance of both negative attribution and avoidant coping in the persistence of PTSD and a number of clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.
... A second useful application of bifactor analyses is reliability analysis to guide interpretations of total versus subtest scores from multifaceted inventories. Using factor loadings from a bifactor analysis, researchers can compute u h (omega hierarchical) reliability, which denotes the proportion of variance in a total sum score attributable to the general factor (66)(67)(68)(69). If u h is large, as in cognitive ability batteries (70), this supports computing a total score and interpreting it as reflecting primarily the general factor. ...
Co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders is well-documented. Recent quantitative efforts have moved toward an understanding of this phenomenon, with the ‘general psychopathology’ or p-factor model emerging as the most prominent characterization. Over the past decade, bifactor model analysis has become increasingly popular as a statistical approach to describe common/shared and unique elements in psychopathology. However, recent work has highlighted potential problems with common approaches to evaluating and interpreting bifactor models. Here, we argue that, when properly applied and interpreted, bifactor models can be useful for answering some important questions in psychology and psychiatry research. We review problems with evaluating bifactor models based on global model fit statistics. We then describe more valid approaches to evaluating bifactor models and highlight three types of research questions for which bifactor models are well-suited to answer. We also discuss the utility and limits of bifactor applications in genetic and neurobiological research. We close by comparing advantages and disadvantages of bifactor models to other analytic approaches and noting that no statistical model is a panacea to rectify limitations of the research design used to gather data.
... A second useful application of bifactor analyses is reliability analysis to guide interpretations of total versus subtest scores from multifaceted inventories. Using factor loadings from a bifactor analysis, researchers can compute ωh (omega hierarchical) reliability, which denotes the proportion of variance in a total sum score attributable to the general factor (70)(71)(72)(73). If ωh is high, as in cognitive ability batteries (74), this supports computing a total score and interpreting it as reflecting primarily the general factor. ...
Co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders is well documented. Recent quantitative efforts have moved toward an understanding of this phenomenon, with the general psychopathology or p-factor model emerging as the most prominent characterization. Over the past decade, bifactor model analysis has become increasingly popular as a statistical approach to describe common/shared and unique elements in psychopathology. However, recent work has highlighted potential problems with common approaches to evaluating and interpreting bifactor models. Here, we argue that bifactor models, when properly applied and interpreted, can be useful for answering some important questions in psychology and psychiatry research. We review problems with evaluating bifactor models based on global model fit statistics. We then describe more valid approaches to evaluating bifactor models and highlight 3 types of research questions for which bifactor models are well suited to answer. We also discuss the utility and limits of bifactor applications in genetic and neurobiological research. We close by comparing advantages and disadvantages of bifactor models with other analytic approaches and note that no statistical model is a panacea to rectify limitations of the research design used to gather data.
... Although, their research was not specific to SAD, considering the associations between anxiety sensitivity and social anxiety (e.g. Rodriguez et al. 2004;Zinbarg et al. 1997), it is plausible to hypothesize that DER would moderate the relationships between negative emotions and drinking in individuals with SAD. Moreover, Bradizza et al. (2018) found that treatmentseeking alcoholics with comorbid mood and anxiety disorders reported significantly greater DER than patients without comorbid disorders. ...
Emerging evidence suggests that increased negative emotions and maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) strategies underlie social anxiety disorder (SAD) and alcohol related problems, but little is known about how specific negative emotions and maladaptive ER strategies interact with one another in predicting drinking in daily life. This study aimed to investigate (1) the impact of within-person level negative emotions and maladaptive ER strategies on drinking among individuals with SAD, and (2) the moderating effect of specific maladaptive ER strategies (avoidance, rumination, suppression) on the relationship between negative emotions and alcohol craving in daily life via an ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Results revealed that the SAD group (n = 66) showed a higher increase rate in alcohol craving when they were socially anxious, tense and lonely than the non-SAD group (n = 53). In moderation analyses, maladaptive ER strategies interacted with negative emotions in predicting alcohol craving and different patterns were observed between groups: rumination was a significant moderator for the SAD group, while avoidance was for the non-SAD group in both concurrent and lagged effect analyses. Implications for the future research and interventions on daily negative emotions and maladaptive ER strategies are discussed.
... (Reise et al. 2013). The omega hierarchical coefficient (McDonald 1999;Zinbarg et al. 1997Zinbarg et al. , 2005 is an alternative to coefficient alpha that is useful in bifactor structures because it estimates the proportion of variance in observed scores attributable to the global factor. Therefore, for present purposes, we treated the bifactor as an indicator of global psychological wellbeing and used scores on this factor in our cross-lagged analyses. ...
Consistent with the trend toward viewing psychological well-being as more than the absence of illness, we developed an instrument—the personal growth and development scale (PGDS)—that can be used to assess positive change in well-being attributable to context-specific experiences. As part of the validation process, we examined relations between the PGDS and measures of need satisfaction and autonomous motivation in students (N = 241) and employees (N = 468). In the student sample, we also examined relations with engagement and burnout. The findings supported our hypothesis that need satisfaction, autonomous motivation and engagement would relate positively with the PGDS, and that burnout would relate negatively. In a second student sample (N = 377), we collected longitudinal data to investigate how global psychological well-being relates to personal growth and development over the course of an academic term. We found that initial levels of global well-being predicted positive changes in growth and development and replicated earlier findings regarding relations between the PGDS, need satisfaction and autonomous motivation. Future applications of the PGDS for research and practice are discussed.
... Utilizing the four criteria outlined by Kraemer et al. (1997) for determining causal risk, causal risk factors for PTSD should: (1) be identified prior to trauma exposure; (2) demonstrate a relationship with PTSD symptoms following traumatic exposure; (3) be amenable to intervention; and (4) produce disparate outcomes in PTSD symptoms if intervened upon prior to trauma exposure. One variable proposed to be a causal risk factor for PTSD is anxiety sensitivity (AS; Bomyea et al., 2012;Elwood, Hahn, Olatunji, & Williams, 2009), a transdiagnostic risk factor that manifests as a fear of negative social, physical, or cognitive consequences resulting from anxious arousal (Reiss, Peterson, Gursky, & McNally, 1986;Taylor et al., 2007;Zinbarg, Barlow, & Brown, 1997). Where elevated AS social concerns influence one to catastrophize the social consequences of publicly-observable signs of anxiety (e.g., blushing), elevated AS physical concerns conflate physical symptoms of anxiety (e.g., shortness of breath) with potential harm or death (e.g., a heart attack), and elevated cognitive concerns may lead one to misconstrue racing or intrusive thoughts as a sign they are "going crazy" or will "lose control." ...
Identifying a malleable pre-trauma risk marker for posttraumatic stress is crucial to preventing symptom development among at-risk individuals. One such candidate is anxiety sensitivity cognitive concerns (ASCC), which represents the fear of psychological incapacitation due to anxious arousal. While the extant literature suggests that applying ASCC interventions prior to trauma exposure should mitigate development of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), this has not been formally tested. We examined whether individuals randomized to receive a Cognitive Anxiety Sensitivity Treatment (CAST; n = 44) prior to a trauma film paradigm would report lower film-specific PTSS after one week compared to individuals randomized to a physical health education training control condition (n = 47). Results revealed that post-intervention ASCC and week-one PTSS were both lower among the CAST condition, and reductions in ASCC mediated the relationship between intervention condition and follow-up PTSS. The current study demonstrated that reducing ASCC prior to an analog trauma can mitigate the development of PTSS. This is critical for establishing ASCC as a causal risk factor for PTSS and encourages the use of ASCC interventions in samples at-risk for trauma exposure.
... Scores range from 0 to 64 [39]. The structure of this questionnaire consists of three factors of fear of future concerns (8 questions), fear of lack of cognitive control (4 questions) and fear of observing anxiety by others (4 questions) [40]. The psychometric properties of this scale show its high internal stability (alpha ranging from 0.80 to 0.90). ...
Background and objective:
Anxiety sensitivity, positive and negative affection and hope are the important factors in promoting mental health of students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of stress-management-based cognitive-behavioral treatments on anxiety sensitivity, hope, positive and negative affect in female students of Medical Sciences.
Materials and methods:
This research was a trail study with pre-test, post-test and control group. A sample of 30 subjects, were selected by available sampling and were randomly assigned using Block Randomization Method of two groups (experimental and control groups). Schneider's hope questionnaire, Watson's positive and negative affect questionnaire, Clarke and Tolgman's questionnaire, Reiss et al.'s anxiety sensitivity of the revised index questionnaire, were completed in two stages (pre-test and post-test) by all subjects. A 6-session protocol of cognitive-behavioral group treatment was performed only on the experimental group. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and MANOVA analysis of variance.
Results:
Two experimental and control groups with the mean 22, standard deviationl. 13, average age is 22 years. Stress-management-based cognitive-behavioral treatments were effective on the level of anxiety sensitivity and hope (p <0.016), however, it had no significant positive effect on the amount of positive and negative affect (p <0.016).
Conclusion:
According to the results, it can be concluded that cognitive-behavioral treatments are effective on anxiety sensitivity and hope. Therefore, stress-management-based cognitive-behavioral training can reduce students' anxiety sensitivity and increase their hopes for coping with challenges.
... Similarly, while evidence suggests AS has three separate dimensions (i.e., physical, cognitive, and social concerns; Zinbarg, Barlow, & Brown, 1997), 12 out of the 15 included studies did not use an AS measure that captured these three dimensions well (e.g., the ASI-3; Taylor et al., 2007). Rather, they used the SURPS (Woicik, Stewart, Pihl, & Conrod, 2009), which appears to focus primarily on the physical concerns AS dimension. ...
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) refers to a dispositional tendency to respond to one's anxiety sensations with fear. Longstanding theoretical accounts implicate AS in alcohol misuse; however, the relationship between AS and alcohol misuse remains unclear. We addressed this by testing whether AS is a risk factor for, and/or complication of, alcohol misuse by conducting a rigorous meta-analysis using random effect models. Our literature search yielded 15 studies (N = 9459). Studies were included if they used a longitudinal design, assessed AS and alcohol misuse at baseline, and assessed alcohol misuse and/or AS at follow-up. Results failed to support AS as a risk factor for, or complication of, alcohol misuse. Researchers are encouraged to test if the link between AS and alcohol misuse emerges under specific conditions (e.g., elevated state anxiety).
... The one exception to this pattern was in the case of the MIHT Perceptual scale, where ASI Social Concerns proved the strongest predictor. Given the heightened levels of ASI Social Concerns among those with social phobia (McLaughlin et al., in press;Zinbarg, Barlow, & Brown, 1997) and the evidence for elevated self-focused attention among those with social phobia (see review by Bögels & Mansell, 2004), the present results suggest that somatic absorption is one way in which selffocused attention may manifest among individuals with high ASI Social Concerns. ...
The Multidimensional Inventory of Hypochondriacal Traits (MIHT; Longley, Watson, & Noyes, 2005) appears to address shortcomings of other common measures of health anxiety, but further research is required prior to using this measure in treatment planning and outcome assessment. This study was designed to explore the hierarchical structure of this health anxiety measure and relations of the various MIHT health anxiety components to anxiety sensitivity. A sample of 535 university students (362 women) was administered the 31-item MIHT and the 16-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI; Reiss, Peterson, Gursky, & McNally, 1986). Confirma-tory factor analyses of participants' responses on the MIHT showed that this measure may be conceptualized either as involving four correlated factors (i.e., Affective, Cognitive, Behavioral, and Perceptual) or as being hierarchical in nature, with the four lower-order factors loading on a single higher-order global health anxiety factor. Correlational analyses revealed significant relations of anxiety sensitivity to each of the four MIHT subscales and to the MIHT total score. Of the three established anxiety sensitivity components, ASI Physical Concerns were most strongly and consistently related to the various dimensions of health anxiety on the MIHT. Additional analyses revealed that the ASI and MIHT are better represented as two correlated but independent traits as opposed to common manifestations of a single underlying trait.
... The one exception to this pattern was in the case of the MIHT Perceptual scale, where ASI Social Concerns proved the strongest predictor. Given the heightened levels of ASI Social Concerns among those with social phobia (McLaughlin et al., in press;Zinbarg, Barlow, & Brown, 1997) and the evidence for elevated self-focused attention among those with social phobia (see review by Bögels & Mansell, 2004), the present results suggest that somatic absorption is one way in which selffocused attention may manifest among individuals with high ASI Social Concerns. ...
The Multidimensional Inventory of Hypochondriacal Traits (MIHT; Longley, Watson, & Noyes, 2005) appears to address shortcomings of other common measures of health anxiety, but further research is required prior to using this measure in treatment planning and outcome assessment. This study was designed to explore the hierarchical structure of this health anxiety measure and relations of the various MIHT health anxiety components to anxiety sensitivity. A sample of 535 university students (362 women) was administered the 31-item MIHT and the 16-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI; Reiss, Peterson, Gursky, & McNally, 1986). Confirma-tory factor analyses of participants' responses on the MIHT showed that this measure may be conceptualized either as involving four correlated factors (i.e., Affective, Cognitive, Behavioral, and Perceptual) or as being hierarchical in nature, with the four lower-order factors loading on a single higher-order global health anxiety factor. Correlational analyses revealed significant relations of anxiety sensitivity to each of the four MIHT subscales and to the MIHT total score. Of the three established anxiety sensitivity components, ASI Physical Concerns were most strongly and consistently related to the various dimensions of health anxiety on the MIHT. Additional analyses revealed that the ASI and MIHT are better represented as two correlated but independent traits as opposed to common manifestations of a single underlying trait. The
... and acceptable test-retest reliability (14 days, r = 0.75) were verified in two studies [17,18]. Several factor analytic studies showed 60% of the total variance could be explained by three factors, including fears of negative consequences of arousal-related physical, cognitive, or social sensations [19,20]. ...
This study aimed to explore the properties of the Chinese version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index– 3 (ASI-3) in a sample of military personnel. Using non-probabilistic sampling, the Chinese version of the ASI-3 was administered to 3,077 valid participants aged 16 to 36 years old (M = 22.35, SD = 3.57) from nine military units. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) and The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to assess the construct validity. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to compare the differences in the services and positions of the participants. It was found that ①The indices of confirmatory factor analysis met the standard values, which supported the hypothesis of the three-factor model of the original ASI-3; ②ASI-3 was significantly associated with DASS-21 in positive ways, which indicated the high convergent validity; on the other hand, the correlation between ASI-3 and TAI was relatively low, which indicated there was an empirical discrimination between anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety. ③The Cronbach’s α coefficients were 0.926 for the total scale and 0.828–0.841 for the three subscales; ④At a cut-off score of 16, the sensitivity and specificity levels were 71.1% and 76.7%, respectively, where the sum of sensitivity and specificity becomes the maximum, accompanied with improvement of PPV and NPV; ⑤There were significant findings in the ASI and subscales among the five services and four positions. This study provides new evidence that the Chinese version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 has good validity and reliability and could be applied as an effective tool to assess anxiety sensitivity in military personnel. Our recommendations to researchers and practitioners are that the three factor model should be replicated across some different special forces and the items and constructs could be modified on Chinese culture.
... One anxiety-related cognitive-based factor that has received attention in the context of smoking and related addictive behaviors is anxiety sensitivity (AS). AS reflects a relatively stable individual difference factor that predisposes individuals to the development of anxiety/depressive problems (Taylor 1999) by amplifying negative mood states(e.g., anxiety; Reiss 1991;Zinbarg et al. 1997). Thus, AS is an 'amplifying factor,' enhancing the aversiveness and need to escape/avoid negative affective or somatic experiences. ...
Although e-cigarette use is on the rise, there is little understanding of cognitive-based individual difference factors that maintain maladaptive e-cigarette beliefs and dependence. The present investigation sought to test a theoretically-driven interactive model of e-cigarette health literacy and anxiety sensitivity (AS; fear of the consequences of anxiety) among 537 e-cigarette users (50.7% female, Mage = 35.2 years, SD = 10.1) in terms of perceived benefits and risks of e-cigarette use as well as dependence. Results indicated a significant interaction between e-cigarette health literacy and AS. The significant interaction effect for each dependent variable was evident over and above the main effects as well as the covariates of sex, income, education, and dual cigarette use (e-cigarette dependence was also controlled for the models of perceived benefits and risks). The form of this interaction indicated that greater e-cigarette health literacy was more strongly related to greater perceived benefits and risks of e-cigarette use as well as dependence among those with higher, relative to lower, AS. Overall, the current data suggest that individual differences in e-cigarette health literacy and AS may represent two important factors to consider in e-cigarette beliefs and dependence. This study provides the first empirical evidence of the potential role of two cognitive factors in relation to e-cigarette use beliefs and behavior. These data suggest future clinical research may benefit by understanding the potential therapeutic role of e-cigarette health literacy and AS for e-cigarette use behavior.
... Similarly, while evidence suggests AS has three separate dimensions (i.e., physical, cognitive, and social concerns; Zinbarg, Barlow, & Brown, 1997), 12 out of the 15 included studies did not use an AS measure that captured these three dimensions well (e.g., the ASI-3; Taylor et al., 2007). Rather, they used the SURPS (Woicik, Stewart, Pihl, & Conrod, 2009), which appears to focus primarily on the physical concerns AS dimension. ...
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) refers to a dispositional tendency to respond to one’s anxiety sensations with fear. Longstanding theoretical accounts implicate AS in alcohol misuse; however, the relationship between AS and alcohol misuse remains unclear. We addressed this by testing whether AS is a risk factor for, and/or complication of, alcohol misuse by conducting a rigorous meta-analysis using random effect models. Our literature search yielded 15 studies (N = 9,459). Studies were included if they used a longitudinal design, assessed AS and alcohol misuse at baseline, and assessed alcohol misuse and/or AS at follow-up. Results failed to support AS as a risk factor for, or complication of, alcohol misuse. Researchers are encouraged to test if the link between AS and alcohol misuse emerges under specific conditions (e.g., elevated state anxiety).
... Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a trait-like tendency to react fearfully to anxiety symptoms (McNally, 1989;Schmidt, Zvolensky, & Maner, 2006). It is a multi-dimensional construct that includes fears of physical, mental, and publicly observable experiences of anxiety (Zinbarg, Barlow, & Brown, 1997;Schmidt et al., 2006). According to McNally (1989), the fear of anxiety can act as a motive for avoiding any stimulus that is a potential trigger for anxiety symptoms. ...
Misophonia is a decreased sound tolerance condition in which specific sounds elicit an intense negative emotional response. The aims of the current study were to examine how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms and misophonia are related, and to examine the possibility that the relationship between anxiety sensitivity (AS) and misophonia may be explained in part by the presence of OCD symptoms. Data were collected from both undergraduate students (N = 451) and community participants (N = 377) using Amazon's MTurk. Participants completed an online survey assessing for decreased sound tolerance conditions, individual differences variables, and clinical variables. Misophonia was more strongly related to obsessive than to compulsive components of OCD, consistent with case reports of obsessive thoughts in misophonia. In addition, OCD symptoms partially mediated the relationship between AS severity and misophonia symptom severity. These results align with the theorized role of anxiety sensitivity in OCD and in misophonia, and provide suggested directions for future research into the mechanisms of misophonia.
... (Reise, Bonifay, & Haviland, 2013). The omega hierarchical coefficient (McDonald, 1999;Zinbarg, Barlow, & Brown, 1997;Zinbarg, Revelle, Yovel, & Li, 2005) is an alternative to coefficient alpha that is useful in bifactor structures because it estimates the proportion of variance in observed scores attributable to the global factor. Therefore, for present purposes, we treated the bifactor as an indicator of global psychological well-being and used scores on this factor in our cross-lagged analyses. ...
Background
Black adults who smoke and have HIV experience immense stressors (eg, racial discrimination and HIV stigma) that impede smoking cessation success and perpetuate smoking-related health disparities. These stressors also place Black adults who smoke and have HIV at an increased risk of elevated interoceptive stress (eg, anxiety and uncomfortable bodily sensations) and smoking to manage symptoms. In turn, this population is more likely to smoke to manage interoceptive stress, which contributes to worse HIV-related outcomes in this group. However, no specialized treatment exists to address smoking cessation, interoceptive stress, and HIV management for Black smokers with HIV.
Objective
This study aims to test a culturally adapted and novel mobile intervention that targets combustible cigarette smoking, HIV treatment engagement and adherence, and anxiety sensitivity (a proxy for difficulty and responsivity to interoceptive stress) among Black smokers with HIV (ie, Mobile Anxiety Sensitivity Program for Smoking and HIV [MASP+]). Various culturally tailored components of the app are being evaluated for their ability to help users quit smoking, manage physiological stress, and improve health care management.
Methods
This study is a pilot randomized controlled trial in which Black combustible cigarette smokers with HIV (N=72) are being recruited and randomly assigned to use either (1) the National Cancer Institute’s QuitGuide app or (2) MASP+. Study procedures include a web-based prescreener; active intervention period for 6 weeks; smartphone-based assessments, including daily app-based ecological momentary assessments for 6 weeks (4 ecological momentary assessments each day); a video-based qualitative interview using Zoom Video Communications software at week 6 for participants in all study conditions; and smartphone-based follow-up assessments at 0, 1, 2 (quit date), 3, 4, 5, 6, and 28 weeks postbaseline (26 weeks postquitting date).
Results
Primary outcomes include biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence of abstinence, HIV-related quality of life, use of antiretroviral therapy, and HIV care appointment adherence at 26 weeks postquitting date. Qualitative data are also being collected and assessed to obtain feedback that will guide further tailoring of app content and evaluation of efficacy.
Conclusions
The results of this study will determine whether the MASP+ app serves as a successful aid for combustible cigarette smoking cessation, HIV treatment engagement, and physiological stress outcomes among Black people with HIV infection. If successful, this study will provide evidence for the efficacy of a new means of addressing major mental and physical health difficulties for this high-risk population. If the results are promising, the data from this study will be used to update and tailor the MASP+ app for testing in a fully powered randomized controlled trial that will evaluate its efficacy in real-world behavioral health and social service settings.
Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05709002; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05709002
International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
PRR1-10.2196/52090
Background and Aim: Obsessive compulsive disorder has a wide prevalence in human society. Based on this, it is very important to know the cognitive, behavioral and neurological backgrounds of these patients and the effective methods of therapeutic interventions to improve their conditions. The aim of the current research was to compare the cognitive, emotional and neurological profiles of people with obsessive-compulsive symptoms with normal people. Method: The present study was a correlational descriptive study. The statistical population consisted of all people with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the second half of 1400 in Mashhad, who entered the research through an invitation. After conducting the screening interview and checking the criteria for entering the research, 80 people were selected as the research sample. The research tools included Stroop color word test, Wisconsin cards, anxiety sensitivity, ambiguous scenarios, Googlen behavioral disorders questionnaire, Yale Brown obsessive compulsive disorder questionnaire and uncertainty intolerance scale. In order to analyze the data, partial least squares (PLS) approach was used due to the exploratory nature of the model, small sample size and non-normal distribution of variables. Analyzes were performed with SPSS.25 and SmartPLS.3.3.2 software. Results: The results showed that the trajectory of predicting obsessive-compulsive symptoms by five indicators was significant in all dimensions. Based on this, it was found that from the cognitive indicators, congruent reactions (P < 0.01), incongruent reactions (P < 0.01) and ambiguous scenarios (P < 0.01), among the neurological indicators (P < 0.01) P < 0.01) and completion of classes (P < 0.01), among the emotional indices of anxiety sensitivity (P < 0.01) and intolerance of uncertainty (P < 0.01) and among the behavioral indices of behavioral tendencies Consistency (P<0.01) and impulsive behavior tendencies (P<0.01) were significant predictors for OCD symptoms. Conclusion: These results indicate that in explaining the psychological profile of obsessive-compulsive sufferers, the need to pay attention to cognitive, behavioral, emotional and neurological indicators has an important place. Also, based on these findings, it was found that emotional indicators have the highest level of predictability and behavioral indicators have the lowest level of predictability among the investigated indicators.
A recent review found that 11% of published factor models are hierarchical with second-order factors. However, dedicated recommendations for evaluating hierarchical model fit have yet to emerge. Traditional benchmarks like RMSEA<0.06 or CFI>0.95 are often consulted, but they were never intended to generalize to hierarchical models. Through simulation, we show that traditional benchmarks perform poorly at identifying misspecification in hierarchical models. This corroborates previous studies showing that traditional benchmarks do not maintain optimal sensitivity to misspecification as model characteristics deviate from those used to derive the benchmarks. Instead, we propose a hierarchical extension to the dynamic fit index (DFI) framework, which automates custom simulations to derive cutoffs with optimal sensitivity for specific model characteristics. In simulations to evaluate performance, results showed that the hierarchical DFI extension routinely exceeded 95% classification accuracy and 90% sensitivity to misspecification whereas traditional benchmarks rarely exceeded 50% classification accuracy and 20% sensitivity.
The current study evaluated a bifactor model for the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory Revised (OCI-R) in two samples, with (n=188) and without (n=408) obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD). Since the OCI-R has been traditionally conceptualized as a correlated six-factor instrument, our goal was to evaluate the fit of a bifactor model against three competing models (one general factor,six correlated factors and a hierarchical model). Results revealed that the bifactor model presented the best fit and that all OCI-R items were influenced by a general factor and by one of the six dimensions. Model-based reliability estimated via Omega hierarchical for the total score suggested that OCI-R items are multidimensional, with the general obsessive-compulsive (OC) factor accounting for little more than half of the variability in the items of the total score, with the remaining variability accounted for by the specific OC domains and other sources of variance. Measurement invariance of the bifactor model was also supported among those with and without OCD. Implications for better understanding the structure and further use of the OCI-R are discussed.
Background and Aim: Anxiety sensitivity or fear of anxiety and its associated physical sensations as a transdiagnostic construct have attracted increasing attention in the developmental psychopathology of emotional disorders and their treatment. Considering the multidimensional nature of anxiety sensitivity and a similar response of patients to anxiety, many studies have been conducted on the role of this construct in predicting and maintaining of emotional disorders. The aim of this study was to review various studies in this field for a better understanding of the anxiety sensitivity in the development and continuation of emotional disorders, its assessment, and therapeutic measures.
Materials and Methods: This was a literature review study. Articles were searched in the Google Scholar search engine and the databases of PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus.
Results: Most studies about anxiety sensitivity in emotional disorders have emphasized the role of this construct in the development and maintenance of these disorders. Currently, the third version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index as a validated index has the most psychometric evidence. The importance of this construct in psychopathology has given it a special position in both diagnosis-specific cognitive-behavioral therapy and transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Conclusions: It seems that anxiety treatment not only reduces the symptoms of emotional problems but also improves response to treatment. Therefore anxiety sensitivity should be considered in the assessment, selective conceptualization, and treatment of emotional disorders.
Keywords: Anxiety sensitivity, Psychopathology, Emotional disorders
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is an individual difference factor reflecting the fear of anxiety-related sensations and is one of the best researched risk factors for psychopathology. Decades of research have focused on exploring the relations between AS and clinical symptoms and disorders, although most of the research has employed self-report or interview-based methodologies to index primary dependent measures. No past research has sought to characterize the explanatory relevance of AS from a body kinematics perspective. The present study explored AS in relation to body kinematics to AS-specific images using a dual-task attentional control paradigm (i.e., approach versus avoidance) that employs AS-specific stimuli and motion-tracking technology. Participants included 108 young adults (58.3% female, M age = 25.3) who took part in a ball catching game to index their measures of behavioral engagement with the AS-specific and neutral stimuli presented at either side of the game environment. After adjusting for age, gender, race, handedness, physical functioning, and negative affectivity, self-reported AS was significantly associated with biokinematically-driven behavioral engagement with the AS-specific stimuli. The present study provides novel empirical evidence that AS is related to anxiety-related bodily kinematics. Future work is needed to extend the current results to clinical samples.
Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 has become a risk factor for identifying anxiety and depressive conditions across both clinical and nonclinical samples. Distress tolerance has been a strong predictor of anxiety, mood disorders, and personality disorders. This study evaluated the predictive ability of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) and the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) to identify generalized anxiety symptoms and worry. A cross-sectional design evaluated the ability of ASI-3 lower order factors and distress tolerance to predict generalized anxiety symptoms and worry, while controlling for gender and trait anxiety. Two hundred twenty-five students completed the measures online. It was hypothesized that Physical, Cognitive, and Social Concerns subscales of the ASI-3 and total DTS scores would predict worry and generalized anxiety symptoms. Regression analyses showed that the ASI-3 Social Concerns factor significantly predicted worry and generalized anxiety symptoms (R2 = .546; R2 = .503, respectively). DTS did not significantly predict worry or generalized anxiety symptoms when added to the regression models. These results suggest that interpretation of ASI-3 subscale scores must be made within the context of an individual’s trait anxiety level and gender.
Introduction:
Anxiety sensitivity plays a prominent role in the etiology of anxiety disorders. This construct has attracted widespread interest from experts and researchers. The Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-3) is the most common scale for measuring anxiety sensitivity.
Objective:
To analyze the psychometric properties and factor structure of the ASI-3 in Iranian student samples.
Methods:
220 students (135 women, 85 men) from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences were selected by the convenience sampling method to evaluate the psychometric properties and analyze the factor structure of the ASI-3. The subjects were also asked to complete the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Whiteley Index, Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Neuroticism scales. LISREL and SPSS were used to analyze the data. Cronbach's alpha and correlation coefficients were calculated and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted.
Results:
The results of the confirmatory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure with physical, cognitive, and social components (comparative fit index = 0.94; normed fit index = 0.91; root mean square error of approximation = 0.09). The ASI-3 had positive and significant correlations with health anxiety (0.59), intolerance of uncertainty (0.29), and neuroticism (0.51). Furthermore, the ASI-3 had a negative and significant correlation with the AAQII (-0.58). Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the whole scale and for the physical, cognitive, and social concerns factors were 0.90, 0.74, 0.79, and 0.78, respectively. The invariance of the index was significant compared to the original English version.
Conclusion:
In general, the results support the adequacy of the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the ASI-3. Theoretical and applied implications will be discussed.
Background and objectives:
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are recognized as a prevalent form of substance use among adults in the United States. The rise in e-cigarette use has motivated research to identify subgroups of the population that may be particularly vulnerable to e-cigarette use and its associated harm. Individuals with elevated psychological vulnerability are one such group more at risk for being a lifetime or current e-cigarette user. Yet, little is known about how factors of psychological vulnerability relate to perceptions of e-cigarette use within the context of e-cigarette quit attempts. The current study evaluated the differential relations of anxiety sensitivity (AS), a core affective vulnerability factor, on several relevant e-cigarette processes across those with and without a previous attempt to quit using e-cigarettes.
Methods:
Our sample consisted of 547 current e-cigarette users (51% female, Mage = 35.38 years, SD = 10.1).
Results:
Results indicated that AS significantly related to greater perceived risks, benefits, and positive outcome expectancies of e-cigarette use among current e-cigarette users who reported at least one attempt to quit e-cigarettes but was unrelated among those who had never attempted to quit.
Discussion and conclusions:
Findings identify e-cigarette users who fail to quit as a potential vulnerable subgroup of users who experience more strongly held perceptions about e-cigarettes because of increased AS.
Scientific significance:
This work provides initial evidence for a conceptual model in which levels of AS and e-cigarette processes are strengthened by and differ across e-cigarette quit attempt history.
Background:
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) refers to the tendency to fear physical sensations associated with anxiety due to concerns about potential physical, social, or cognitive consequences. Many previous studies were limited by the use of the anxiety sensitivity index (ASI) or the ASI-revised (ASI-R), which are both measurements with unitary or unstable structures. No recent study that has utilized the ASI-3 examined the relations between AS dimensions and depression. Thus, we examined multiple relationships between AS and anxiety disorders and depression using the ASI-3.
Methods:
The total sample consisted of 667 outpatients, diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth text revision as assessed by a structured clinical interview. There were eight patient groups: multiple anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), panic disorder (PD), social phobia (SP), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and anxiety disorder not otherwise specified (AD NOS). We conducted one-way analysis of variances and post hoc tests to compare the ASI-3 total and subscale scores across the groups.
Results:
The physical concern score was higher in patients with PD than patients with MDD, SP, OCD, or GAD. The social concern score was higher in the SP group than those with MDD, PD, GAD, and AD NOS. Patients with GAD and PTSD showed higher cognitive concern scores than the patients with PD.
Conclusion:
Results partially replicated the relationship between PD and physical concern, between SP and social concern, and between GAD and cognitive concern examining the relationships between AS dimensions and anxiety disorders.
Anxiety sensitivity (AS), namely the fear of anxiety symptoms, has been described as a precursor of sub-threshold anxiety levels. Sexton et al. (2003) posited that increased AS would arise from an elevated neuroticism and that both would act as vulnerability factors for panic disorder (PD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms. Accordingly, this study aimed to (1) evaluate the applicability of this model to a pediatric population and (2) examine the influences of the other Big-Five personality dimensions on the four lower-order dimensions of AS (cognitive, physical, control, and physical) and on social phobia (SP), separation anxiety disorder (SAD) and depression symptoms. 200 children (104 girls) aged between 8 and 12 years old (mean age = 132.52 months, SD = 14.5) completed the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (Silverman et al., 1991), the Big Five Questionnaire for Children (Barbaranelli et al., 2003), and the Revised’s Children Anxiety and Depression Scale (Chorpita et al., 2000). Regression analyses confirmed that AS and neuroticism together significantly predicted the presence of PD, OCD, and GAD symptoms but also SP, SAD, and depression symptoms. Moreover, neuroticism interacted with extraversion, conscientiousness and agreeableness to significantly predict SP, GAD, and depression. Surprisingly, the global AS score was only predicted by agreeableness, while AS dimensions also specifically related to openness. Finally, AS dimensions did not predict the presence of specific anxiety symptoms. To conclude, the predicting model of anxiety symptoms in children sets neuroticism and AS on the same level, with an unexpected influence of agreeableness on AS, raising the importance of other trait-like factors in the definition of such models. Moreover, AS should be considered as a unitary construct when predicting the presence of anxiety symptoms in children. Future interventions must consider these associations to help children detect and recognize the symptoms of their anxiety and help them to interpret them correctly.
Background
Child anxiety sensitivity (AS) is measured almost exclusively using the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI). Yet, in the context of significant discrepancies regarding the CASI factors and how they are scored and reported, it remains unclear whether the CASI reliably and validly assesses the purported multifactorial AS construct.
Objective
This paper will: (1) provide a comprehensive summary of previous CASI factor analyses by which these factor structures were identified, (2) evaluate evidence regarding the multifactorial nature of AS in youth, and (3) discuss potential directions for continued research in this area.
Method
In a PsycInfo search, peer-reviewed studies published between 1991 and 2018 were identified for inclusion if they examined the factor structure of the CASI or reported data on the CASI subscales as administered to child participants.
Results
Findings from the 50 studies reviewed suggested that (1) the 18-item CASI does not consistently yield internally reliable assessments of specific AS facets, (2) significant discrepancies exist regarding the CASI subscales identified, the items comprising these scales, and their predictive validity in terms of anxiety, and (3) alternatives to assess the multifactorial construct of AS in youth do exist, but they have not been systematically examined in the literature.
Conclusions
Directions for future study include further examining expanded scales for AS in youth, continued study of shorter scales assessing more consistently reliable AS content, and evaluating the utility of an expanded response scale for the CASI.
Háttér: Az abszorpció mérésére a leggyakrabban a 34 tételes Tellegen Abszorpció Skálát alkalmazzák. Az önjellemző mérőeszköz széles körű elterjedtségének ellenére viszonylag csekély azon közlemények száma, amelyek a mérőeszköz részletes pszichometriai jellemzőinek
feltárására (pl. faktorszerkezet, skálák belső konzisztenciája) irányulnak. Célkitűzés: Vizsgálatunk fő kérdésfeltevése az, hogy az abszorpció mennyire tekinthető önálló, látens dimenziónak, bontható-e további alfaktorokra, illetve az alfaktorokból képzett skálák milyen megbízhatóságúak, és mennyivel árnyalják a főskálán szerzett eredményeket. Kíváncsiak voltunk arra is, hogy az 5-fokozatú Likert-skálás és a dichotóm válaszformátumok mennyire befolyásolják a mérőeszköz strukturális validitását és skáláinak belső homogenitását.
Módszerek: Az 5-fokozatú Likert-skálás válaszformátumú TAS-t összesen 1935 hallgató töltötte ki, a dichotóm válaszformátumút pedig 399 személy. A mérőeszköz strukturális validitását feltáró és megerősítő faktorelemzések (pl. egyfaktoros modell, modell másodrendű faktorral, bifaktoros modell), valamint parallel-elemzés segítségével vizsgáltuk. A kapott alksálák reliabilitását nemcsak a hagyományos módon (Cronbach-alfa), hanem az általános faktor kontrollálása mellett is kiszámoltuk (hierarchikus omega, magyarázott közös variancia). Eredmények: Az eredeti 34 tételes változatok (Likert-skálás és dichotóm válaszformátumú), illetve a feltáró faktorelemzések eredményei alapján rövidített 23 tételes változat megerősítő faktorelemzései során egyértelműen a bifaktoros elrendezések adták a legjobb illeszkedési mutatókat és az általános faktor (főskála) megbízhatósága kiváló volt. Ezzel szemben az alkálák reliabilitása, az általános faktor kontrollálása
mellett, már nem volt megfelelő. Az alkalmazható faktorok számának meghatározására a parallell-elemzés kiváló becslést adott, mind az 5-fokozatú Likert-skálás, mind a dichotóm válaszformátum esetében az egydimenziós szerkezetet valószínűsítette. Következtetések: A kapott eredményeink egyrészről alátámasztják azt, hogy az abszorpció egy látens pszichológiai változónak tekinthető, másrészről pedig a hagyományos statisztikai módszerek korlátaira hívják fel a figyelmet, és a többféle módszer kombinált alkalmazásának hatékonyságát támasztják alá.
Frequent search for health-related data on the internet that escalates anxiety experience is called cyberchondria. The aim of this study was to determine the role of anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in the prediction of cyberchondria. The study was performed on 177 students of Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran. The samples were recruited using clustering sampling method. Data were collected using Cyberchondria Sensitivity Scale (CSS), Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASIR), Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS). According to the regression analysis, anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty and obsessive-compulsive symptoms positively and significantly predicted cyberchondria. According to the results, the interpretation of physical sensations as dangers, uncertainty about the origin of these senses, and the feeling of responsibility and coercion to be sure about the health leads the individual to frequently search medical information through the Internet.
Amaç: Cinsiyet ve geçen zamanın, sosyal anksiyeteye ve anksiyete du- yarlılığına yaptığı etkileri konu alan yayınlanmış çalışmalar olmasına rağmen bu etkilerin nasıl gerçekleştiği hakkında fikir birliğine varılama- mıştır. Çalışmanın amacı, tıp fakültesi son sınıfının sosyal anksiyeteye etkisini saptamanın yanında temelde cinsiyet ve anksiyete duyarlılığına odaklanarak, sosyal anksiyetenin yordayıcılarını belirlemektir.
Yöntem: Çalışma iki aşamada yapılmıştır. Demografik Bilgiler Anketi, Liebowitz Sosyal Anksiyete Ölçeği (LSAÖ) ve Anksiyete Duyarlılığı İn- deksi (ADİ) uygulanmıştır. Bu uygulamaların ilki altıncı sınıfın başında (Aşama 1, n=153), diğeri ise altıncı sınıfın sonunda (Aşama 2, n=130) yapılmıştır.
Bulgular: Aşama 1’de erkek cinsiyet sosyal anksiyete düzeyini yordarken Aşama 2’de bu yordama kaybolmuştur. Annenin eğitim düzeyi erkek- lerde sosyal anksiyeteyi ters yönde etkilerken kadınlarda herhangi bir etki saptanmamıştır. Sosyal anksiyeteyi ailesinde ruhsal hastalık öykü- sü bulunma ve ADİ puanları yordamıştır. Sosyal anksiyete ve anksiyete duyarlılığı toplam puanları geçen 10 aylık süreçte anlamlı bir değişime uğramamıştır. ADİ alt ölçek puanları ise sosyal anksiyeteyi benzer bi- çimde yordamamaktadır.
Sonuç: Bulgularımız anksiyete duyarlılığı ile sosyal anksiyete arasındaki güçlü ilişkiyi doğrulamaktadır. Annenin yüksek düzeyde eğitim almış olması erkeklerde sosyal anksiyeteye karşı koruyucu bir faktör iken ka- dınlarda bu kanıtlanamamıştır. İntörnlük eğitiminde geçen dönemin sosyal anksiyetede belirgin bir düşüşe yol açmadığı gösterilmiştir. Bun- ların yanında ADİ’nin fiziksel belirtiler alt ölçeği, anksiyete duyarlılığı ve sosyal anksiyete arasındaki ilişkiyi açıklamak için yeterlidir.
Anahtar Sözcükler: Sosyal fobi, Anksiyete Duyarlılığı, Tıp eğitimi, Anne eğitim düzeyi
SUMMARY
Does Gender Affect the Relationship Between Anxiety Sensitivity and Social Anxiety?
Introduction: Although there are studies on the effects of gender and time on social anxiety and anxiety sensitivity, there is no consensus on how these variables moderate the relationship between the two. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the last year of medical school on social anxiety and to determine the predictors of social anxiety, focusing mainly on gender and anxiety sensitivity.
Methods: The study was conducted at two time points. Demographic Information Questionnaire, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) were given to medical school students at Time 1 (n=153): beginning of 6th year of medical school; and at Time 2 (n=130): end of the 6th year.
Results: Male gender predicted social anxiety at Time 1 but not at Time 2. Maternal education negatively predicted social anxiety in males; no prediction was observed for females. Psychiatric illness in the family and ASI scores predicted social anxiety. The total scores of social anxiety and anxiety sensitivity did not change over a course of 10 months. ASI subscale scores were not uniform in predicting social anxiety.
Conclusions: Our results have confirmed the strong relationship between anxiety sensitivity and social anxiety. Higher maternal education appeared to be a protective factor against social anxiety among males but not among females. It is apparent that a whole educational year of internship does not lead to a significant reduction in social anxiety. We also showed that the physical sensations scale of ASI is sufficient to explain the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and social anxiety.
Keywords: Social phobia, Anxiety Sensitivity, Medical Education, Maternal education status
Drinking behaviors among college students have become problematic as evidenced by 20% of students who endorse five or more problems associated with alcohol use. Alcohol use problems are associated with numerous anxiety problems and can begin as early as young adolescence. The period for risk of developing emotional problems peaks during the transition to college. Despite the relationship between anxiety and alcohol use problems, little is known about the cross-cutting mechanisms that explain their relationship and comorbidity. Researchers have proposed affective (i.e. anxiety sensitivity and distress tolerance) and alcohol-specific motivations (i.e. expectancies, valuations, peer influence, and drinking motives) as vulnerabilities for alcohol use and anxiety problems. To address the relationship gap,, the current study examined how changes in anxiety sensitivity, alcohol expectancies, valuations, peer resistance, and drinking motives contributed to changes in alcohol and anxiety interference across three waves of time. Key findings from 297 college students revealed expectancies predicted positive changes alcohol use problems across two phases of time. Anxiety sensitivity predicted alcohol use problems, drinking motives, expectancies, and valuations. Moreover, anxiety sensitivity predicted positive changes in anxiety interference and peer resistance. Drinking motives were associated with increased changes in alcohol useproblems. The relationship between anxiety sensitivity and alcohol use problems were serially mediated via expectancies and motives. These results highlight the importance of targeting specific cognitive- affective mechanisms among early college students to reduce the risk of alcohol use and anxiety-related problems. Adviser: Debra Hope
A statistical review of published data for 37 personality and psychopathology inventories was conducted to determine whether there are dimensional structure differences between clinical and nonclinical respondents. Correlation and factor-loading matrices from multiscale inventories and from specialized measures were tested for structural invariance across populations. There was relatively consistent evidence for high levels of similarity between normal and abnormal populations both in the number of factors that exist in the data matrices and in the factor patterns. The dimensional universes of normality and abnormality are apparently the same, at least according to data derived from contemporary assessment instruments. Categorical-taxonic differences between clinical and nonclinical populations, which were not examined, may nevertheless exist within contexts of dimensional structure similarity.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.