George Mason University, United States.
J Anxiety Disord. 2011 Dec;25(8):989-93. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.06.004. Epub 2011 Jul 19.
The looming vulnerability model proposes that individuals with anxiety generate dynamic mental scenarios of threats as intensifying and approaching faster than they can cope or respond. In addition to the looming cognitive style posing a general cognitive vulnerability for anxiety, the looming vulnerability model posits that different anxiety disorders can be distinguished based on the specific content of their looming vulnerability themes. The current study examined whether different anxiety disorders have distinct looming vulnerability content along the lines of disorder-specific themes. A treatment-seeking sample of individuals with DSM-IV anxiety disorders (N=172) completed measures of looming vulnerability prior to treatment initiation. Consistent with the looming vulnerability model, the results indicated that individuals with social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and panic disorder reported significantly greater disorder-specific looming content compared to non-disorder specific looming content. Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder reported the same level of looming social threat as those with social phobia. The results suggest that different anxiety disorders can be distinguished by the specific content of looming vulnerability themes and provide empirical support for the convergent validity of the Looming Vulnerability Scale.
潜在脆弱性模型提出，焦虑个体产生威胁的动态心理场景，其加剧和逼近速度超过个体能够应对或反应的速度。除了潜在的认知风格对焦虑构成一般认知脆弱性之外，潜在脆弱性模型还假设，不同的焦虑障碍可以根据其潜在脆弱性主题的具体内容来区分。本研究旨在检验不同的焦虑障碍是否存在不同的潜在脆弱性内容，是否存在特定于障碍的主题。一个寻求治疗的 DSM-IV 焦虑障碍患者样本（N=172）在治疗开始前完成了潜在脆弱性的测量。与潜在脆弱性模型一致，结果表明，社交恐惧症、强迫症和恐慌症患者报告的特定于障碍的潜在内容明显多于非特定于障碍的潜在内容。广泛性焦虑症患者报告的社交威胁与社交恐惧症患者相同。结果表明，不同的焦虑障碍可以通过潜在脆弱性主题的具体内容来区分，并为潜在脆弱性量表的收敛效度提供了实证支持。
