Examining the link between positive affectivity and anxiety reactivity to social stress in individuals with and without social anxiety disorder.

BACKGROUND

Positive affect (PA) attenuates negative reactivity to stress; however, this adaptive function of PA is seldom studied in psychiatric conditions characterized by more extreme forms of affective responding. We tested distinct associations of PA and negative affect (NA) with anxiety reactivity in participants with social anxiety disorder (SAD)-a condition characterized by heightened NA and diminished PA-and non-SAD control subjects.

METHOD

Adults with a principal diagnosis of SAD (n = 71) and those without a psychiatric history (n = 36) rated their PA and NA during the past week, and were exposed to a laboratory stressor wherein they delivered a video-recorded speech on a controversial topic. Anxiety reactivity was assessed in terms of anticipatory anxiety prior to the speech, and observer-rated anxiety-related behavior during the speech.

RESULTS

Across all participants, higher PA significantly predicted lower anticipatory anxiety and less anxiety-related behavior, beyond level of NA; lower NA significantly predicted attenuated anticipatory anxiety, but not anxiety-related behavior, beyond level of PA. The association between PA and stress reactivity was diminished for individuals with especially elevated NA, as well as for individuals with SAD compared to those without.

CONCLUSIONS

PA may be protective against negative reactivity to social stress; however, theoretical models and clinical applications should consider possible interactive effects of PA and NA in modulating stress reactivity.