The Relation Between Anxiety Sensitivity and Attachment Style in Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Abstract

Given the accumulating evidence for a role of anxiety sensitivity in the etiology of panic, it is important to understand the developmental origins of anxiety sensitivity. To this end, this study examined the relation between attachment beliefs and anxiety sensitivity in a sample of high school students (nD 203; mean age 15.7 years) and university students (nD 324; mean age 21.7 years). The Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR; K. Brennan, C. Clark, & P. Shaver, 1998) was used to assess attachment beliefs and to classify participants into attachment groups. The Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI; R. A. Peterson & S. Reiss, 1987) was used to assess participants’ levels of anxiety sensitivity. Results supported the hypothesis that individuals with insecure attachment, specifically those classified as preoccupied and fearful (i.e., those with a negative model of self), had significantly higher anxiety sensitivity scores than securely attached individuals in both the high school and college samples.