Anxiety sensitivity as a vulnerability factor for the development of panic disorder

Anksiozna osjetljivost je relativno nov konstrukt za kojim interes zadnjih 20 godina kontinuirano raste, a mnoga dosadašnja istraživanja pokazuju rezultate kako je upravo visoka razina ove specifične osobine rizičan faktor za razvoj paničnog poremećaja. Cilj ovog longitudinalnog istraživanja bio je ispitati može li se na temelju razine anksiozne osjetljivosti nakon tri godine predvidjeti pojava paničnog poremećaja i koja od dimenzija anksiozne osjetljivosti je najbolji prediktor paničnog poremećaja. Također, htjela se ispitati promjena razine anksiozne osjetljivosti u funkciji vremena i paničnog poremećaja. Istraživanje je provedeno na prigodnom uzorku studentica Filozofskog fakulteta u Zagrebu (N=464). Sudionice su ispunjavale Upitnik dijagnostičkih kriterija za panični poremećaj (po kriterijima iz DSM-IV), Indeks anksiozne osjetljivosti (Peterson i Reiss, 1987) i Upitnik stanja-osobine anksioznosti (Spielberger i sur., 1983). Rezultati pokazuju kako je anksiozna osjetljivost rizičan faktor za pojavu paničnog poremećaja (dok se i anksioznost kao osobina pokazala značajnim prediktorom), nadalje, dimenzija tjelesnih briga se jedina pokazala prediktorom paničnog poremećaja te se potvrdilo da je razina anksiozne osjetljivosti statistički značajno veća u drugoj točki mjerenja kod sudionica koje zadovoljavaju kriterije za dijagnozu paničnog poremećaja.Anxiety sensitivity is a relatively new construct which has been studied for the past 20 years. The recent studies showed that higher levels of this specific trait are a risk factor for the development of panic disorder. The aim of this longitudinal study (3-year period apart) was to determine whether anxiety sensitivity is a predictor of panic disorder and which dimension of anxiety sensitivity is the strongest predictor of panic disorder. In addition, we wanted to examine the dynamics of anxiety sensitivity among participants who experienced the symptoms associated with panic disorder and those who did not. The study was conducted on a sample of female students from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb (n=464). Participants filled out the Diagnostic Criteria for Panic Disorder Questionnaire (following the DSM-IV criteria), the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (Peterson & Reiss, 1987) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger et al., 1983). According to the findings, anxiety sensitivity is a risk factor for the development of panic disorder. Trait anxiety was also found a significant predictor. The physical concerns dimension of anxiety sensitivity was the only significant predictor of panic disorder. In the second study wave, the levels of anxiety sensitivity were significantly higher only among the participants who met the criteria for panic disorder