Paloma Chorot

Validation of the Spanish version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index in a clinical sample

In this study we validated the Spanish version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) in a sample of anxiety disordered patients. The results revealed that: (1) ASI scores were higher for anxiety disordered patients than for normal control subjects, and higher for patients with panic disorder (PD) than for patients with other anxiety disorders (OAD). In contrast, there were no differences among the groups on the Cognitive-Somatic Anxiety Questionnaire (CSAQ). (2) Using discriminant analysis, we were able to differentiate PD patients from patients with OAD on the ASI, but not on the CSAQ. (3) Results supported a unidimensional factor-structure for the ASI. (4) Data provide cross-cultural evidence for construct validity and concurrent validity of the Spanish ASI, and provide further evidence for the usefulness of the concept of anxiety sensitivity.

Adverse psychological effects in women attending a second-stage breast cancer screening

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the emotional and psychopathological impact associated with a second-stage screening for breast cancer. METHOD We used a short-term longitudinal design. Interviews were conducted with 1195 women of 45-65 years old in three temporal conditions (premammogram, postmammogram, and follow-up). Participants included women attending for regular breast cancer screening who were recalled for a further mammogram (i.e., second-stage breast cancer screening) and women who were not recalled. Affective-cognitive concerns about cancer (worry, fear, and perceived vulnerability) were rated using a 10-point Likert scale. Psychopathology was assessed using the Hopkins Symptom Check List-Revised (SCL-90-R). RESULTS Women attending the second-stage screening exhibited significantly higher levels of breast cancer worries, fears, and beliefs than women attending for routine screening before obtaining the results of the mammogram. This affective-emotional impact disappeared quickly and was not relevant 2 months following the mammogram. Despite the fact that levels of psychopathological symptoms were higher in the premammogram condition, there were no differences between groups on these measures. CONCLUSION These results provide support for the hypothesis that women recalled for further mammograms tend to experience high levels of affective-cognitive distress but not psychopathological symptoms. Moreover, results do not sustain the prediction that this psychological impact persists beyond receipt of a negative result. Some recommendations to reduce these psychological side effects are suggested.

Differences in negative life events between patients with anxiety disorders, depression and hypochondriasis

This study investigated whether some categories of adverse life events are differentially associated with specific types of emotional disorders. A life self-report measure of major life events was completed by 42 subjects with diagnoses of anxiety disorders, 46 subjects with major depression, 26 subjects with hypochondriasis and 73 nonclinical subjects (controls). As predicted, the onset of anxiety disorders, depression, and hypochondriasis appears to be differentially related with life stress of ‘threat’, ‘loss’, and ‘health’, respectively, previously experienced by the clinical subjects. Also, there were significant differences between clinical and nonclinical subjects on both perceived life stress and number of life events reported. Findings suggest a differential implication of psychosocial stress categories in particular emotional disorders (i.e., anxiety, depressive and hypochondriacal disorders). These results expand previous findings that have demonstrated an association between negative life events and psychopathology.

The incubation theory of fear/anxiety: experimental investigation in a human laboratory model of Pavlovian conditioning.

The aim of this work was to test Eysencks incubation theory of fear/anxiety in human Pavlovian B conditioning of heart rate (HR) responses. The conditioned stimuli (CSs) were phobia-relevant slides (snakes and spiders) and the unconditioned stimuli (UCSs) were aversive noises. The subjects were presented with two levels of noise intensity during acquisition and three levels of nonreinforced CS presentation (CS-only) in a delay differential (CS+/CS-) conditioning paradigm (2 x 3 x 2). Consistent with the incubation theory, conditioned HR acceleratory responses were sustained (resistance to extinction) for high-noise intensity and short-presentations of CS-only subjects. During the extinction phase, HR acceleratory responses quickly extinguished in low-noise intensity groups after the first presentations of CS-only. These findings were interpreted as support for the incubation theory of phobic fear.

Anxiety sensitivity, catastrophic misinterpretations and panic self-efficacy in the prediction of panic disorder severity: towards a tripartite cognitive model of panic disorder.

The present study examined the contribution of three main cognitive factors (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily symptoms, and panic self-efficacy) in predicting panic disorder (PD) severity in a sample of patients with a principal diagnosis of panic disorder. It was hypothesized that anxiety sensitivity (AS), catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations, and panic self-efficacy are uniquely related to panic disorder severity. One hundred and sixty-eight participants completed measures of AS, catastrophic misinterpretations of panic-like sensations, and panic self-efficacy prior to receiving treatment. Results of multiple linear regression analyses indicated that AS, catastrophic misinterpretations and panic self-efficacy independently predicted panic disorder severity. Results of path analyses indicated that AS was direct and indirectly (mediated by catastrophic misinterpretations) related with panic severity. Results provide evidence for a tripartite cognitive account of panic disorder.

RESISTANCE TO EXTINCTION OF CONDITIONED ELECTRODERMAL RESPONSES: A STUDY OF THE INCUBATION FEAR HYPOTHESIS

In the present study we examined Eysencks incubation hypothesis of fear. Probability of skin conductance response (SCR) was analyzed for a sample of 79 undergraduate women, ranging in age from 18 to 25 years. Different groups of participants were conditioned to two levels of unconditioned stimuli (UCS) intensity and presented to three levels of unreinforced conditioned stimuli (CS) exposures (extinction phase) in a delay differential conditioning paradigm. The CSs were fear-relevant slides (snakes and spiders) and the UCSs were aversive tones. Analysis did not show a clear incubation effect; instead an increased resistance to extinction of SCR probability in association to the high-UCS and the short unreinforced CS presentation was evident. Findings support partially Eysencks incubation theory of fear/anxiety.

A confirmatory factor-analytic validation of the tripartite model of depression and anxiety among undergraduates in Spain

The tripartite model of depression and anxiety proposes that low positive affect is a specific indicator of depression, whereas high physiological hyperarousal is a specific marker of anxiety. High negative affect, while common to both syndromes, is specific to neither. To test the validity of the tripartite model, we administered self-report scales on positive affect, negative affect, and physiological hyperarousal to 388 undergraduates in Spain. LISREL confirmatory factor analytic techniques were used. Consistent with the predictions of the tripartite view and with previous work on North American samples (e.g., Joiner, 1996), a three-factor model with Positive Affect, Physiological Hyperarousal, and Negative Affect as factors, provided the best fit for the observed data. These findings contribute to an emerging literature on the validity of the tripartite model, and, furthermore, are the first to indicate that the model and its implications may be applied cross-culturally.

Perceived parental child rearing and attachment as predictors of anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms in children: The mediational role of attachment

The present study aimed to examine (a) the relative contribution of perceived parental child-rearing behaviors and attachment on anxiety and depressive symptoms, and (b) the role of attachment as a possible mediator of the association between parental rearing and anxiety and depression. A sample of 1002 children (aged 9-12 years) completed a booklet of self-report questionnaires measuring parental rearing behaviors, attachment towards peers, and DSM anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms. We found that parental aversiveness, parental neglect, and fearful/preoccupied attachment, each accounted for a significant amount of the variance in both anxiety and depressive symptoms. In addition, parental overcontrol was found to account for unique variance in anxiety whereas communication/warmth accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in depression. A relevant finding was that fearful/preoccupied attachment was found to mediate the association between parental rearing behaviors and both anxiety and depression. Parental rearing behaviors and attachment to peers may act as risk factors to the development and/or maintenance of anxiety and depressive symptomatology in children. Findings may contribute to outline preventive and/or treatment programs to prevent or reduce both clinical anxiety and depression during childhood.

Sensibilidad a la ansiedad y presión psicológica : Efectos sobre el rendimiento deportivo en adolescentes

El objetivo del presente estudio consistio en examinar la sensibilidad a la ansiedad y la afectividad positiva y negativa como posibles factores moduladores del choking (caida del rendimiento deportivo asociado a la presion psicologica). Participaron 100 estudiantes de secundaria (el 66% eran mujeres), los cuales cumplimentaron el Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI) y el Positive and Negative Affect Schedule para Ninos y Adolescentes (PANASN) antes de participar en un set de badminton en condiciones de baja y alta presion. Los datos basados en ANOVAs apoyan la hipotesis de que la sensibilidad a la ansiedad, pero no la afectividad positiva o negativa, actua como modulador del deterioro del rendimiento deportivo inducido por la condicion de alta presion; los participantes con elevado nivel de sensibilidad a la ansiedad experimentaron una caida dramatica en el rendimiento deportivo durante la condicion de alta presion. El presente estudio amplia la literatura sobre el fenomeno del choking incluyendo la sensibilidad a la ansiedad como nueva variable relevante en el campo de la psicologia de la actividad fisica y el deporte

Spanish translation and validation of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire.

The present study reports the multistage development and evaluation of a Spanish translation of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ). The INQ measures the constructs of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, which the interpersonal theory of suicide proposes are proximal causes of suicidal desire. Participants were bilingual Hispanic college students in the United States (n = 56), heritage Spanish-speaking college students in the United States (n = 281), college students in Spain (n = 1,016), psychiatric inpatients in Mexico (n = 181), college students in Mexico (n = 239), and Spanish-speaking U.S. adults (n = 104). Results indicated that a 9-item 2-factor solution (INQ-S-9) provided good fit. Multiple group analyses were also consistent with measurement invariance across nationalities and clinical severity. Finally, both subscale scores demonstrated good internal consistency, test–retest reliability, convergent validity, and concurrent associations with scores on measures of suicide ideation. Cultural considerations and implications for use in clinical and research settings are discussed.