title: An examination of the relation between traumatic event exposure and panic-relevant biological challenge responding among adolescents.
abstract: The current study uniquely extended research that has linked traumatic event exposure to panic-spectrum problems among adolescents. It was hypothesized that among 127 adolescents (age range: 10 to 17 years; M = 14.63, SD = 2.24), those who endorsed a history of traumatic event exposure would evidence significantly greater anxious and fearful reactivity to a well-established 3-min voluntary hyperventilation procedure compared to nonexposed individuals. Results were consistent with hypotheses, suggesting traumatic event exposure is associated with anxious and fearful reactivity to abrupt increases in bodily arousal among adolescents. Moreover, consistent with hypotheses, anxiety sensitivity significantly mediated the relations between traumatic event exposure and both self-reported panic symptoms and panic symptoms elicited by the challenge. Future prospective research is now needed to better understand temporal relations between traumatic event exposure and indices of panic and related vulnerability.
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas, 216 Memorial Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hawks
authors.forename: Heidemarie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Blumenthal
authors.forename: Matthew T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Feldner
authors.forename: Ellen W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Leen-Feldner
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006985:Hyperventilation / Q000523:psychology*; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index