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Anxiety Sensitivity as a Specific and Unique Marker of Anxious Symptoms in Youth Psychiatric Inpatients

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Abstract

We addressed several questions regarding the relation of anxiety sensitivity to anxious symptoms among 47 youth psychiatric inpatients (18 boys, 29 girls), ages 9–17 (M = 14.23, SD = 1.89). Participants completed measures of anxiety sensitivity, anxious and depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, and positive and negative affect; chart diagnoses were available. Consistent with hypotheses, we found that (a) anxiety sensitivity was associated with anxious symptoms, even controlling for trait anxiety and depressive symptoms; and (b) anxiety sensitivity displayed symptom specificity to anxious versus depressive symptoms (i.e., was associated with anxiety controlling for depression but not with depression controlling for anxiety). Furthermore, regarding factors of anxiety sensitivity, we obtained mixed support for our prediction that phrenophobia would be associated with both depression and anxiety, whereas fear of physical arousal would be associated with anxiety but not depression. Implications for the construct validity of anxiety sensitivity were discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

    Thomas E. Joiner Jr., Marisol Perez & Jeremy W. Pettit

  2. Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

    Norman B. Schmidt & Kristen L. Schmidt

  3. Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

    Jeff Laurent

  4. Department of Psychology, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois

    Salvatore J. Catanzaro

Authors
  1. Thomas E. Joiner Jr.
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  2. Norman B. Schmidt
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  3. Kristen L. Schmidt
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  4. Jeff Laurent
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  5. Salvatore J. Catanzaro
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  6. Marisol Perez
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  7. Jeremy W. Pettit
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Correspondence to Thomas E. Joiner Jr..

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Joiner, T.E., Schmidt, N.B., Schmidt, K.L. et al. Anxiety Sensitivity as a Specific and Unique Marker of Anxious Symptoms in Youth Psychiatric Inpatients. J Abnorm Child Psychol 30, 167–175 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014757300294

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