Anxiety sensitivity not distress tolerance as a predictor of generalized anxiety symptoms and worry

Abstract

Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 has become a risk factor for identifying anxiety and depressive conditions across both clinical and nonclinical samples. Distress tolerance has been a strong predictor of anxiety, mood disorders, and personality disorders. This study evaluated the predictive ability of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) and the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) to identify generalized anxiety symptoms and worry. A cross-sectional design evaluated the ability of ASI-3 lower order factors and distress tolerance to predict generalized anxiety symptoms and worry, while controlling for gender and trait anxiety. Two hundred twenty-five students completed the measures online. It was hypothesized that Physical, Cognitive, and Social Concerns subscales of the ASI-3 and total DTS scores would predict worry and generalized anxiety symptoms. Regression analyses showed that the ASI-3 Social Concerns factor significantly predicted worry and generalized anxiety symptoms (R2 = .546; R2 = .503, respectively). DTS did not significantly predict worry or generalized anxiety symptoms when added to the regression models. These results suggest that interpretation of ASI-3 subscale scores must be made within the context of an individual’s trait anxiety level and gender.