Characteristics of women with clinical and non-clinical panic disorder.

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine variables that differentiate clinical panic disorder (CP), non-clinical panic disorder (NCP), and non-panic (NP) groups. Analyses first involved comparing CP and NCP groups on a number of characteristics associated with their disorder. In general, the CP participants appeared to have a much more severe variant of panic disorder than individuals from the NCP sample. Findings showed that CP participants reported a greater number of symptoms, had a more chronic condition, and experienced attacks with greater frequency, than the NCP group. Discriminant function analyses showed that the CP group was best differentiated from the NCP group by the number of panic symptoms they endorsed. Further analyses involved comparing CP, NCP, and NP on several self-report and Stroop word measures. Variables of interest were: anxiety sensitivity, coping strategies, perceived control, desire for control, life events, perceived stress, and selective attention for anxiety and confinement word stimuli. Discriminant function analyses clearly showed that anxiety sensitivity was superior to the other variables analyzed in differentiating the CP group from the other two groups. Discriminant analyses also showed that the NCP group was best differentiated from the NP sample by their ratings of negative life events and the number of positive events they reported. Possible group differences in self-focused attention are discussed.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1999 .M347. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 61-09, Section: B, page: 4994. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1999