title: Anxiety sensitivity as a predictor of the clinical course of panic disorder: a 1-year follow-up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is evidence that negative affect (NA) and anxiety sensitivity (AS) predict the development of anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder (PD). The main purpose of this study was to examine whether NA and AS will also predict the clinical course of PD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 136 individuals with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of PD (with or without agoraphobia) enrolled in a naturalistic and longitudinal study of anxiety disorders, the Harvard/Brown Anxiety Research Project (HARP). Participants were administered the Anxiety Sensitivity Index and the Negative Affect Scales of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Expanded Form (PANAS-X-NA) and their percentage of time in PD episode was followed for 1 year after the administration of the measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multiple regression analyses indicated that AS, but not NA, was a significant predictor of percentage of time in PD episode after controlling for previous time in PD episodes, comorbid depression, other anxiety disorders, and exposure to psychopharmacological and behavioral treatments. As expected, the Physical Concerns subscale of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index had a significant independent contribution in predicting the course of the disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, these findings suggest that AS, as a unique construct, may be predictive of the amount of time patients are in episode of PD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA. carlos_perez-benitez@brown.edu
authors.forename: Carlos Israel Pérez
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Benítez
authors.forename: M Tracie
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raffa
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rende
authors.forename: Ingrid R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Dyck
authors.forename: Holly J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ramsawh
authors.forename: Maria Orlando
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Edelen
authors.forename: Martin B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Keller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D018450:Disease Progression; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult