Synergistic effects of pain intensity and anxiety sensitivity in relation to anxiety and depressive symptoms and disorders among economically disadvantaged latinos in a community-based primary care setting

• Interaction of anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity among Latinos was examined.
• Anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity interaction related to anxious arousal.
• Interaction between anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity related to social anxiety.
• Anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity interaction related to depressive symptoms.

The present investigation examined the interactive effects of anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity in relation to anxious arousal, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms and disorders among 203 Latino adults with an annual income of less than $30,000 (84.4% female; Mage = 38.9, SD = 11.3 and 98.6% used Spanish as their first language) who attended a community-based primary healthcare clinic. As expected, the interaction between anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity was significantly related to increased anxious arousal, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms as well as number of depressive/anxiety disorder diagnoses. The form of the significant interactions indicated that participants reporting co-occurring higher levels of anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity evinced the greatest levels of anxious arousal, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms as well as higher levels of depressive and anxiety disorders. These data provide novel empirical evidence suggesting that there is clinically-relevant interplay between anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity in regard to a relatively wide array of anxiety and depressive variables among Latinos in a primary care medical setting.