Comparisons of Different Measures of Anxiety Sensitivity

Anxiety sensitivity refers to the fear of anxiety based on the belief that anxiety has damaging physical, psychological and social consequences, which is the significant risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders and other pathology. Although the most commonly used measure of anxiety sensitivity is Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), over time other versions have been constructed. The aim of this study is to compare ASI with three later versions: Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASI-R), Anxiety Sensitivity Profile (ASP) and Anxiety Sensitivity Index–3 (ASI-3). The sample consisted of 400 adults from Serbia (50% male and 50% female) aged between 18 and 59 years (M = 30,98, SD = 7,07). Criterion for inclusion was no history of psychiatric treatment. Analysis of internal consistency show that all instruments, including their subscales, have good internal consistency (alpha coefficients ranging from .76 to .98). Principal component analysis with promax rotation of AS scores show that only ASI-3 has factor structure which is consistent with the findings from previous studies. In accordance with expectations, correlations and partial correlations of AS measures with trait anxiety and depression show that instruments have significant partial correlations with trait anxiety (from .14 to .32) and with depression (from .21 to .36). ASI-3 has the highest partial correlation with trait anxiety. We can conclude that ASI-3 has the best characteristics and is recommended for use. However, these findings need to be verified on clinical population. Key words: measures of anxiety sensitivity, factor analysis, reliabilit