title: Dimensional structure of bodily panic attack symptoms and their specific connections to panic cognitions, anxiety sensitivity and claustrophobic fears.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies of the dimensional structure of panic attack symptoms have mostly identified a respiratory and a vestibular/mixed somatic dimension. Evidence for additional dimensions such as a cardiac dimension and the allocation of several of the panic attack symptom criteria is less consistent. Clarifying the dimensional structure of the panic attack symptoms should help to specify the relationship of potential risk factors like anxiety sensitivity and fear of suffocation to the experience of panic attacks and the development of panic disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  In an outpatient multicentre study 350 panic patients with agoraphobia rated the intensity of each of the ten DSM-IV bodily symptoms during a typical panic attack. The factor structure of these data was investigated with nonlinear confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The identified bodily symptom dimensions were related to panic cognitions, anxiety sensitivity and fear of suffocation by means of nonlinear structural equation modelling (SEM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  CFA indicated a respiratory, a vestibular/mixed somatic and a cardiac dimension of the bodily symptom criteria. These three factors were differentially associated with specific panic cognitions, different anxiety sensitivity facets and suffocation fear.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taking into account the dimensional structure of panic attack symptoms may help to increase the specificity of the associations between the experience of panic attack symptoms and various panic related constructs.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,Institute of Psychology,University of Münster,Fliednerstraße 21,Münster,Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Drenckhan
authors.affiliation: Department Survey Design and Methodology,GESIS Leibniz Institute for Social Science,Mannheim,Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glöckner-Rist
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,Institute of Psychology,University of Münster,Fliednerstraße 21,Münster,Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rist
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology,University of Greifswald,Greifswald,Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,Technische Universität Dresden,Dresden,Germany.
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Gloster
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology,Humboldt University of Berlin,Berlin,Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fehm
authors.affiliation: Christoph-Dornier Foundation for Clinical Psychology,Bremen,Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Biological Psychology,University of Mannheim,Mannheim,Germany.
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Alpers
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology,University of Greifswald,Greifswald,Germany.
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Hamm
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology,Humboldt University of Berlin,Berlin,Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fydrich
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,Philipps-University Marburg,Marburg,Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kircher
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,University of Münster,Germany.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Arolt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy,University of Würzburg,Würzburg,Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deckert
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,Charité-UniversitätsmedizinBerlin,Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ströhle
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,Technische Universität Dresden,Dresden,Germany.
authors.forename: H-U
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Wittchen
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy,Institute of Psychology,University of Münster,Fliednerstraße 21,Münster,Germany.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gerlach
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000379:Agoraphobia; D000402:Airway Obstruction; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002637:Chest Pain; D023341:Chills; D003071:Cognition; D015897:Comorbidity; D004417:Dyspnea; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009325:Nausea; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013546:Sweating; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: symptom dimensions