title: The Nature of the Association between Anxiety Sensitivity and Pain-Related Anxiety: Evidence from Correlational and Intervention Studies.
abstract: High anxiety sensitivity (AS) has been associated with elevated pain-related anxiety in anxiety and pain samples. The present study investigated (a) the associations among the lower order dimensions of AS and pain-related anxiety, using a robust measure of AS, and (b) the pain-related anxiety outcomes of a telephone-delivered cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT) designed to reduce high AS. Participants were 80 anxiety treatment-seeking participants with high AS (M age = 36 years; 79% women). After providing baseline data on AS and pain-related anxiety, participants were randomly assigned to an eight-week telephone CBT or a waiting list control. At baseline, bivariate correlations showed AS physical and cognitive, but not social, concerns were significantly associated with pain-related fear and arousal but not escape/avoidance behaviours. Multiple regression revealed that after accounting for emotional distress symptoms, AS physical, but not cognitive or social, concerns uniquely predicted pain-related anxiety. Multilevel modelling showed that the AS-targeted CBT reduced pain-related anxiety and treatment-related changes in global AS and AS physical concerns mediated changes in pain-related anxiety. Results suggest that an AS-targeted intervention may have implications for reducing pain-related anxiety. Further research is needed in a chronic pain sample.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology & Neuroscience , Dalhousie University , Halifax , Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 , Canada.
authors.forename: Janine V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Olthuis
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , Saint Francis Xavier University , Antigonish , Nova Scotia B2G 2W5 , Canada.
authors.forename: Margo C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Watt
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology & Neuroscience , Dalhousie University , Halifax , Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 , Canada.
authors.forename: Sean P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Mackinnon
authors.affiliation: d Department of Psychology , Acadia University , Wolfville , Nova Scotia B4P 2R6 , Canada.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Potter
authors.affiliation: e Departments of Psychology & Neuroscience and Psychiatry , Dalhousie University , Halifax , Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 , Canada.
authors.forename: Sherry H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D001143:Arousal; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D013689:Telephone; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: anxiety sensitivity; cognitive behavioural therapy; pain-related anxiety