Anxiety sensitivity: stability in prospective research

Several recent panic prevention studies suggest that anxiety sensitivity, as measured by the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), may not be stable under certain conditions. In two investigations [Behav. Ther. 32 (2001) 725; Disertation Abstr. Int. 62 (2001) 4226], wait-list or no-treatment conditions produced ASI scores at follow-up that were significantly reduced from baseline and comparable to those of the intervention groups. Although design characteristics could not rule out regression to the mean as the source of these changes, the authors suggested that these findings were most likely due to nonspecific factors such as reassurance, support, or the expectation of receiving subsequent treatment. The present study sought to replicate and extend these findings by analyzing the contribution of a detailed diagnostic assessment on ASI scores. Two cohorts of high-risk-for-panic participants scoring in the high range of the ASI were studied. Cohort 1 received a detailed diagnostic assessment and then either no-treatment or one of two anxiety sensitivity reduction interventions. Cohort 2 did not receive a detailed diagnostic assessment or an intervention. Both groups were followed up 2 weeks after baseline assessment. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that ASI total and subscale scores are unstable in the presence of structured interviews. Participants receiving a diagnostic assessment produced ASI scores that were significantly lower than at baseline with the average ASI score dropping from the high to the average range. ASI scores of participants not receiving a diagnostic assessment, however, were unchanged from baseline.