title: Randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of a brief intervention targeting anxiety sensitivity cognitive concerns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a well-established, malleable risk factor for anxiety and other forms of psychopathology. Structural evaluation models of AS suggest it can be decomposed into physical, social, and cognitive concerns, and emerging work indicates that these components may be differentially related to various adverse outcomes. In particular, AS cognitive concerns have been consistently linked with suicide. Prior work has also shown that brief interventions can effectively reduce overall AS, but these treatments tend to focus on its physical subcomponent. The aim of the current investigation was to design and evaluate the efficacy of an AS treatment more specifically focused on its cognitive component.
  
  
  METHODS
  Non-treatment-seeking participants (N = 108) with elevated AS were randomly assigned to a 1-session intervention utilizing psychoeducation and interoceptive exposure techniques to target AS or a health information control intervention and assessed posttreatment and at 1-month follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The active treatment condition produced significantly greater reductions in AS at posttreatment. Group differences persisted at 1-month follow-up that were specific to AS cognitive concerns. Moreover, changes in cognitive AS mediated symptom change at follow-up including suicide outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the brevity of the treatment intervention, findings demonstrate that it resulted in substantial reductions in AS cognitive concerns that were linked with symptom improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Norman B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Daniel W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Capron
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Amanda M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Raines
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Nicholas P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Allan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003071:Cognition; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000092864:Suicide Prevention