Taylor S, Cox B J
Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Behav Res Ther. 1998 Jan;36(1):37-51. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(97)00071-5.
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of anxiety-related sensations, based on beliefs that these sensations have harmful consequences. AS is thought to play an important role as a diathesis for anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder. Recent evidence suggests that AS has a hierarchical structure, consisting of multiple lower-order factors, which load on a single higher-order factor. If each factor corresponds to a discrete mechanism, then the results suggest that AS arises from a hierarchic arrangement of mechanisms. A problem with previous studies is that they were based on the 16-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), which may not contain enough items to reveal the type and number of lower-order factors. Accordingly, we developed the 60-item Anxiety Sensitivity Profile, which was administered to 349 university students. Factor analyses revealed four lower-order factors: (1) Fear of respiratory symptoms, (2) fear of cognitive dyscontrol, (3) fear of gastrointestinal symptoms, and (4) fear of cardiac symptoms. These loaded on a single higher-order factor. The lower-order factors shared variance with the higher-order factor, but also contained unique variance. Thus, the results suggest that AS is the product of a general factor, with independent contributions from four specific factors.
焦虑敏感性（AS）是指对与焦虑相关的感觉的恐惧，这种恐惧基于这些感觉会产生有害后果的信念。AS被认为作为焦虑症尤其是惊恐障碍的素质起着重要作用。最近的证据表明，AS具有层次结构，由多个低阶因素组成，这些因素加载到一个单一的高阶因素上。如果每个因素对应一个离散机制，那么结果表明AS源于机制的层次排列。以往研究的一个问题是它们基于16项焦虑敏感性指数（ASI），该指数可能没有足够的项目来揭示低阶因素的类型和数量。因此，我们编制了60项焦虑敏感性概况表，并将其施测于349名大学生。因素分析揭示了四个低阶因素：（1）对呼吸症状的恐惧，（2）对认知失控的恐惧，（3）对胃肠道症状的恐惧，以及（4）对心脏症状的恐惧。这些因素加载到一个单一的高阶因素上。低阶因素与高阶因素共享方差，但也包含独特的方差。因此，结果表明AS是一个一般因素的产物，同时有四个特定因素的独立贡献。
