Associations between lower order anxiety sensitivity dimensions and DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms

Abstract

Anxiety sensitivity (AS), a well-established individual difference variable reflecting a tendency to fear bodily sensations associated with arousal, has been implicated in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite these associations, little research has examined the relations between AS subfactors (eg physical, cognitive, and social) and PTSD symptoms and none have examined these associations in the context of DSM-5 (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) PTSD clusters (ie intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions/mood, and arousal). Participants included 50 veterans presenting to an outpatient Veteran Affairs Clinic for psychological services. Upon intake, veterans completed a brief battery of self-report questionnaires to assist with differential diagnosis and treatment planning. Results revealed unique associations between lower order AS dimensions, in particular the cognitive concerns dimension, and all four DSM-5 PTSD symptom clusters. Given the malleable nature of AS cognitive concerns, as well as the growing number of veterans in need of care, future research should determine the extent to which targeting this cognitive risk factor reduces PTSD symptom severity among veterans.

Interactive Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury and Anxiety Sensitivity on PTSD Symptoms: A Replication and Extension in Two Clinical Samples

“…Indeed, a breadth of literature supports the link between AS and PTSS across a variety of study designs (see Olatunji & Wolitzky-Taylor, 2009 for a review). For instance, greater AS has been cross-sectionally associated with greater PTSS among police officers (Asmundson & Stapleton, 2008), community outpatients (Albanese et al, in press), non-treatment seeking community adults (Vujanovic, Zvolensky, & Bernstein, 2008), treatment-seeking veterans (Raines et al, 2017), and adults with substance abuse (McDermott, Tull, Gratz, Daughters, & Lejuez, 2009). Moreover, AS has been shown to predict PTSS longitudinally when assessed after a trauma (Marshall, Miles, & Stewart, 2010) and prospectively when AS is measured prior to a trauma (Boffa et al, 2016), thereby fitting the definition of a true risk factor (Kraemer et al, 1997).…”

Anxiety Sensitivity Prospectively Predicts Increased Acute Posttraumatic Stress and Related Symptoms After Sexual Assault

“…Indeed, some studies have identified certain factors of AS, such as cognitive concerns, to be particularly important in predicting PTSS (Raines et al, 2017). Second, although the 6 weeks of follow-up met the 1-month DSM-5 criteria for a PTSD diagnosis, and represents a key period of PTSS development, the follow-up period in the present study was relatively brief.…”

The Association Between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Anxiety Sensitivity in a College Sample

“…However, rates of developing PTSD in college-aged students are similar to the general population (Read et al., 2014). Despite the existence of efficacious treatments for PTSD, approximately one-third of people diagnosed still exhibit symptoms after treatment (Raines et al., 2017). Thus, it is vital to identify underlying factors that may be associated with the maintenance of PTSD symptoms to improve treatment efficiency.…”

“…Anxiety sensitivity includes three different facets; anxiety sensitivity physical concerns (ASPC), anxiety sensitivity cognitive concerns (ASCC), and anxiety sensitivity social concerns (ASSC; Taylor et al., 2007). Those with high AS fear the negative consequences of the physical (e.g., “It scares me when my heart beats rapidly”), cognitive (e.g., “I feel like I might be losing my mind or going crazy”), and social (e.g., “I worry that other people will notice my anxiety”) symptoms of anxiety (Raines et al., 2017; Taylor et al., 2007). Initially, AS was referenced specifically in the context of panic disorder; however, recent longitudinal research has indicated that PTSD symptoms and AS might have a bidirectional relationship (Marshall et al., 2010).…”

“…In addition, meta-analyses have suggested that AS subfactors are better able to differentiate comorbid psychopathology, indicating a need to examine AS as three separate subfactors instead of one total score (Naragon-Gainey, 2010). However, a limited number of studies have considered the association between PTSD symptom clusters and AS subfactors using the ASI-3 (Raines et al., 2017; Stephenson et al., 2009). In a study of undergraduates experiencing high exposure to trauma from a school shooting, Stephenson et al.…”