Anxiety Sensitivity Differentially Predicts Factors of Interpersonal–Psychological Suicide Risk: A Consideration of Specificity

Abstract

Recent studies have identified anxiety sensitivity (AS) as a risk factor for suicidality; however, limited work has been performed to understand this risk within the context of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide (IPTS; Joiner, 2005). The current study examined the relationship between overall AS, each AS subfactor (cognitive, social, and physical), and the three IPTS domains (perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and acquired capability). While each AS subfactor uniquely predicted one IPTS domain, greater overall AS only predicted greater acquired capability, suggesting that assessment of AS at the subfactor level may offer us more information about an individual's interpersonal suicide risk.

Towards a greater understanding of anxiety sensitivity across groups: The construct validity of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3

“…In contrast to the report of Allan et al (2015) suggesting AS cognitive concerns were positively associated with suicidality, AS cognitive concerns in the present study were inversely related to suicidal symptoms, as well as inversely related to anxious arousal. Moreover, AS social concerns were inversely related to suicidality, which contrasted with work guided by the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide suggesting AS social concerns may increase suicidality via increased thwarted belongingness (Hudiburgh et al, 2017). While past work utilizing a bifactor model had documented the AS specific factors being unrelated to trait anxiety (Ebesutani et al, 2014), or positively associated with depression, worry, and social anxiety (Allan et al, 2015), no past findings have documented inverse associations between AS specific factors and criterion variables.…”

Familial Aggregation and Coaggregation of Suicide Attempts and Comorbid Mental Disorders in Adults

“…The finding that social anxiety disorder may represent a marker of the familial diathesis for suicide attempts suggests that factors underlying social anxiety, such as behavioral inhibition, anxiety sensitivity, dysregulation of processing of automatic negative emotions, and feelings of social isolation, could be associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts. People with these traits could have greater reactivity to social loss or disruptions, or have increased burdensomeness as postulated by the interpersonal theory of suicide risk .…”