حساسیت اضطراب در میان پناهندگان کامبوج همراه با اختلال پانیک: مطالعه عامل تحلیلی

Among Cambodian refugees with panic disorder (N = 208), we performed two factor analyses, one with the ASI, another with an Augmented ASI (consisting of the 16-item ASI supplemented with a 9-item addendum that assesses additional Cambodian concerns about anxiety-related sensations). The principal component analysis of the ASI yielded a 3-factor solution (I, “Weak Heart Concerns”; II, “Social Concerns”; III, “Control Concerns”); the Augmented ASI, a 4-factor solution: I, “Wind Attack Concerns”; II, “Weak Heart Concerns”; III, “Social Concerns”; and IV, “Control Concerns.” The item clustering within the factor solution of both the ASI and Augmented ASI illustrates the role of cultural syndromes in generating fear of mental and bodily events.

The Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) taps fear of anxiety-related sensations (Reiss, Peterson, Gursky, & McNally, 1986). Elevated scores on the ASI predict increased risk for spontaneous panic attacks (Schmidt, Lerew, & Jackson, 1997) and anxious response to symptom-provocation procedures such as hyperventilation or carbon dioxide inhalation (McNally, 2002; McNally & Eke, 1996). The ASI distinguishes among anxiety disorders. For example, patients with panic disorder score higher than those with generalized anxiety disorder even when their mean scores on measures of trait anxiety are indistinguishable (Taylor, Koch, & McNally, 1992).