title: Domain-general and domain-specific strategies for the assessment of distress intolerance.
abstract: Recent research has provided evidence that distress intolerance-the perceived inability to tolerate distressing states-varies based on the domain of distress (e.g., pain, anxiety). Although domain-specific assessment strategies may provide information targeted to specific disorders or maladaptive behaviors, domain-general measures have the potential to facilitate comparisons across studies, disorders, and populations. The current study evaluated the utilization of self-report measures of distress intolerance as domain-general measures by examining their association with indices of behavioral avoidance and substance craving. Two groups of participants (N = 55) were recruited including a substance-dependent group and a comparison group equated based on the presence of an affective disorder. Results provided support for the validity of domain-general measures for assessing distress intolerance across varied domains. The importance of both domain-general and domain-specific measurement of distress intolerance is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston University, USA. kmchugh@mclean.harvard.edu
authors.forename: R Kathryn
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: McHugh
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Otto
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology