Abstract
This study aimed to explore the properties of the Chinese version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index– 3 (ASI-3) in a sample of military personnel. Using non-probabilistic sampling, the Chinese version of the ASI-3 was administered to 3,077 valid participants aged 16 to 36 years old (M = 22.35, SD = 3.57) from nine military units. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) and The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to assess the construct validity. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to compare the differences in the services and positions of the participants. It was found that ①The indices of confirmatory factor analysis met the standard values, which supported the hypothesis of the three-factor model of the original ASI-3; ②ASI-3 was significantly associated with DASS-21 in positive ways, which indicated the high convergent validity; on the other hand, the correlation between ASI-3 and TAI was relatively low, which indicated there was an empirical discrimination between anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety. ③The Cronbach’s α coefficients were 0.926 for the total scale and 0.828–0.841 for the three subscales; ④At a cut-off score of 16, the sensitivity and specificity levels were 71.1% and 76.7%, respectively, where the sum of sensitivity and specificity becomes the maximum, accompanied with improvement of PPV and NPV; ⑤There were significant findings in the ASI and subscales among the five services and four positions. This study provides new evidence that the Chinese version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 has good validity and reliability and could be applied as an effective tool to assess anxiety sensitivity in military personnel. Our recommendations to researchers and practitioners are that the three factor model should be replicated across some different special forces and the items and constructs could be modified on Chinese culture.
Highlights
Within the cognitive-behavioral framework, dysfunctional beliefs play an important role in emotional disorders [1]
Our study aimed to establish the factorial validity of the Chinese version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index 3 in a sample of military personnel
As the first Chinese large-sample norm, the current study aimed to provide evidence for the validity of the Chinese version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index– 3 (ASI-3) using robust methods
Summary
Within the cognitive-behavioral framework, dysfunctional beliefs play an important role in emotional disorders [1]. Panic disorder is considered to be influenced by catastrophic beliefs of the danger of internal sensations (e.g., When I notice my heart skipping a beat, I worry that there is something seriously wrong with me) [3]. These dysfunctional cognitions cause catastrophic misinterpretations of danger cues, thereby triggering situational anxiety and fear [4]. Reiss and McNally defined anxiety sensitivity as “the fear of arousal-related sensation, arising from beliefs that the sensations have harmful somatic, cognitive, or social consequences (e.g., death, insanity, or social rejection)” [5]. Existing studies indicate that anxiety sensitivity might be associated with several psychosomatic diseases, such as hypochondriasis, chronic pain, and substance use disorders [8]
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