Examination of differential anxiety sensitivities in panic disorder: A test of anxiety sensitivity subdomains predicting fearful responding to a 35% CO2 challenge

Abstract

Cognitive conceptualizations of panic disordersuggest that panic is produced and maintained bythreatening beliefs associated with autonomic arousal.The present study tested the discriminant validity of the anxiety sensitivity model of panic byassessing the differential predictions of particularanxiety sensitivity domains. A factor analysis of theBody Sensations Questionnaire indicated four nested anxiety sensitivity factors assessing fears ofcardiopulmonary, dissociation, numbness, andgastrointestinal sensations. The symptoms assessed byeach factor possess varying levels of correspondence to the sensations typically produced during a 35%CO2 inhalation (i.e., CardiopulmonaryFears/High Correspondence, Dissociation Fears/ModerateCorrespondence, Numbness Fears/Moderate Correspondence,Gastrointestinal Fears/Low Correspondence). It was hypothesizedthat anxiety sensitivity to the high-correspondencesensations, compared to anxiety sensitivity to moderate-and low-correspondence sensations, would predict greater fearful responding to a 35%CO2 challenge. Fifty-six participants meetingDSM-IV criteria for panic disorder completed a singlevital capacity 35% CO2 challenge. Consistentwith prediction, Cardiopulmonary Fears was the only index that predictedprovocation-induced anxiety and symptoms. These findingssuggest that specific anxiety sensitivities can providea more powerful explanatory model for predicting emotional responding in panicdisorder.