A comparative evaluation of panicogenic processes and quality of life in a sample of non-clinical panickers and age and sex matched non-panicking controls

Contemporary models of panic attacks suggest that panic problems exist on a continuum and highlight the need to understand what differentiates persons who have never had a panic attack versus persons who have had panic attacks but have not yet developed panic disorder (i.e., non-clinical panickers). Accordingly, the present study evaluated several theoretically-relevant factors that were expected to distinguish a sample of (conservatively defined) non-clinical panickers (n = 72) from an age and sex-matched comparison sample of non-panicking controls (n = 72). As expected, panickers were characterized by higher levels of anxiety sensitivity, perceived uncontrollability, and state and trait anxiety relative to their non-panic counterparts. Moreover, higher levels of trait anxiety emerged as a predictor of poorer quality of life among panickers. Results are considered within the context of biopsychosocial continuum models of panic attacks and panic disorder and future directions for research are suggested.