title: Interactive Effects of Anxiety Sensitivity and Subjective Social Status on Psychological Symptomatology in Black Adults.
abstract: Anxiety sensitivity is the fear of anxiety-related sensations and subjective social status is a self-perception of social standing relative to others: both constructs have been linked to psychological symptomatology. This study investigated the interactive effects of anxiety sensitivity and social status in relation to anxiety and depressive symptomatology expression among 124 black adults. Participants provided sociodemographics and completed self-report questionnaires. The interactive associations between anxiety sensitivity and social status on anxiety symptomatology and depressive symptomatology were examined with hierarchical linear regressions adjusted for sociodemographics and negative affectivity. Significant interactions between anxiety sensitivity and social status were evident only for anxiety symptoms: specifically, the association between anxiety sensitivity and anxiety symptoms was much stronger for individuals with lower (versus higher) subjective social status. Black adults with this higher anxiety sensitivity/lower social status phenotype may be at heightened risk for the expression of anxiety symptomatology, and may benefit from interventions to reduce anxiety sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: a University of Houston.
authors.forename: Lorraine R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Reitzel
authors.affiliation: b University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Sarah D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Childress
authors.affiliation: a University of Houston.
authors.forename: Ezemenari M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Obasi
authors.affiliation: a University of Houston.
authors.forename: Lorra
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garey
authors.affiliation: c University of Oklahoma Stephenson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Damon J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Vidrine
authors.affiliation: b University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Lorna H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: McNeill
authors.affiliation: a University of Houston.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zvolensky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057566:Self Report; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: anxiety sensitivity; anxiety symptoms; black ethnicity; depressive symptoms; social status