Panchyshyn Veronica, Tekok-Kilic Ayda, Frijters Jan C, Tardif-Williams Christine
Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St Catharines Ontario, L2S 3A1, Canada.
Heliyon. 2023 Feb 26;9(3):e14071. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14071. eCollection 2023 Mar.
As multiple vulnerability factors have been defined for anxiety disorders, it is important to investigate the interactions among these factors to understand why and how some individuals develop anxiety. Sensory Sensitivity (SS) and Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) are independent vulnerability factors of anxiety, but their unique relationship in predicting anxiety has rarely been studied in non-clinical populations. The objective of this investigation was to examine the combined effects of SS and IU on self-reported anxiety in a sample of university students. In addition, with the frequently reported sex bias in anxiety literature, we expected that the combined effects of vulnerability factors would be different for females and males. A convenience sample of 313 university students, ages 17-26 years was recruited. The participants completed the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12), the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile (AASP), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Results of moderated mediation analyses demonstrated a strong partial mediation between SS and anxiety through IU, providing evidence that IU, a cognitive bias against the unknown, was one mechanism that explained how SS was related to anxiety. Further, the effect of IU on anxiety was approximately twice as strong in females. Our results highlight the importance of studying the unique relationships among multiple vulnerability factors to better understand anxiety susceptibility in emerging adults.
由于已经确定了焦虑症的多种易感性因素，因此研究这些因素之间的相互作用对于理解为什么以及如何有些人会患上焦虑症很重要。感官敏感性（SS）和对不确定性的不耐受（IU）是焦虑症的独立易感性因素，但在非临床人群中，它们在预测焦虑症方面的独特关系很少被研究。本研究的目的是在一组大学生样本中检验SS和IU对自我报告焦虑的综合影响。此外，鉴于焦虑症文献中经常报道的性别偏见，我们预计易感性因素的综合影响在女性和男性中会有所不同。招募了一个由313名年龄在17至26岁之间的大学生组成的便利样本。参与者完成了不确定性不耐受量表（IUS-12）、成人/青少年感官概况（AASP）和贝克焦虑量表（BAI）。调节中介分析的结果表明，SS和焦虑之间通过IU存在强烈的部分中介作用，这证明IU，一种对未知的认知偏见，是解释SS与焦虑如何相关的一种机制。此外，IU对焦虑的影响在女性中大约是男性的两倍。我们的研究结果强调了研究多种易感性因素之间独特关系对于更好地理解新兴成年人焦虑易感性的重要性。
