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The Role of Anxiety Sensitivity in the Relation Between Experiential Avoidance and Anxious Arousal, Depressive, and Suicidal Symptoms Among Latinos in Primary Care

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Abstract

The present investigation examined the explanatory role of anxiety sensitivity in the relation between experiential avoidance and anxious arousal, depressive, and suicidal symptoms among Latinos seeking health services at a primary healthcare facility. Participants included 138 adult Latinos (86.2 % female; Mage = 38.4, SD = 10.8 and 97.8 % used Spanish as their first language). Results indicated that experiential avoidance was indirectly related to anxious arousal, depressive, and suicidal symptoms through anxiety sensitivity. These observed effects were evident above and beyond the variance accounted for by gender, marital status, educational level, employment status, and negative affectivity. Tests of model specificity [reversing the posited explanatory variable (anxiety sensitivity) and dependent variable(s), respectively] indicated that experiential avoidance is related to anxiety sensitivity, which in turn, is associated with anxious arousal and suicidal symptoms. In regard to depressive symptoms, the relation between experiential avoidance and anxiety sensitivity appears to be reciprocal. The present findings suggest that there is indeed merit in focusing further scientific attention on the interplay between experiential avoidance and anxiety sensitivity in regard to better understanding and possibly intervening to reduce anxiety/depressive vulnerability among Latinos in primary care settings.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for the study was from an endowment fund awarded to Dr. Zvolensky. The study was approved by Institutional Review Board at the University of Houston.

Conflict of Interest

Michael Zvolensky, Jafar Bakhshaie, Monica Garza, Jeanette Valdivieso, Mayra Ortiz, Daniel Bogiazian, Zuzuky Robles, Norman Schmidt, and Anka Vujanovic do not have any conflicts of interests or financial disclosures to report.

Informed Consent

Informed written consent was obtained prior to initiating study procedures. All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (national and institutional).

Animal Rights

No animals have been employed in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The University of Houston, 126 Heyne Building, Suite 104, Houston, TX, 77204-5502, USA

    Michael J. Zvolensky, Jafar Bakhshaie, Mayra Ortiz & Zuzuky Robles

  2. Department of Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Michael J. Zvolensky

  3. Adolescent Treatment Program, The Menninger Clinic, Legacy Community Health Services, Houston, TX, USA

    Monica Garza & Jeannette Valdivieso

  4. Psychotherapeutic Area of “Asociación Ayuda”, Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Daniel Bogiaizian

  5. Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 West Call St, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA

    Norman B. Schmidt

  6. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Anka Vujanovic

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  1. Michael J. Zvolensky
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  2. Jafar Bakhshaie
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  3. Monica Garza
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  4. Jeannette Valdivieso
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  7. Zuzuky Robles
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  8. Norman B. Schmidt
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  9. Anka Vujanovic
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Correspondence to Michael J. Zvolensky.

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Zvolensky, M.J., Bakhshaie, J., Garza, M. et al. The Role of Anxiety Sensitivity in the Relation Between Experiential Avoidance and Anxious Arousal, Depressive, and Suicidal Symptoms Among Latinos in Primary Care. Cogn Ther Res 39, 688–696 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-015-9696-2

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