Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of Anxiety Sensitivity Components in Mediating the Relationship Between Childhood Exposure to Parental Dyscontrol and Adult Anxiety Symptoms

  • Published:
Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This retrospective study investigated the relationship between childhood exposure to parental dyscontrol (i.e., loss of control behaviors) and levels of anxiety sensitivity (AS) components in early adulthood. Four-hundred-and-sixty-five undergraduate students completed self-report measures including the Dyscontrol Experiences Questionnaire. Specificity emerged between AS components and particular dyscontrol experiences. Although exposure to parental dyscontrol related to negative emotional states was significantly positively correlated with all AS dimensions, exposure to parental dyscontrol related to drinking was significantly positively correlated with psychological concerns only. Mediator regression analyses showed AS psychological concerns to play a significant mediating role between parental dyscontrol related to anger and drinking and both general and panic-related anxiety symptoms in the adult offspring. Results suggest that specific parental behaviors may be etiologic in the development of AS, and acquired AS may help explain relations between childhood learning experiences and the development of psychopathological symptoms in young adulthood.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • American Psychiatric Association [APA]. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev). Washington, DC: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association [APA]. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.) Washington, DC: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Brown, G. K. (1996). Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory (2nd ed.). San Antonio, Tx: The Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewin, C. R., Andrews, B., & Gotlib, I. H. (1993). Psychopathology and early experience: Areappraisal of retrospective reports. Psychological Bulletin, 113, 82-98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buffett-Jerrott, S., Stewart, S. H., & Watt, M. C., & Jang, K. L. (1999). The relationship between anxiety sensitivity scores of parents and their adult children [Summary]. Canadian Psychology, 40(2a), 10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox, B. J., Borger, S. C., & Enns, M. W. (1999). Anxiety sensitivity and emotional disorders: Psychometric studies and their theoretical implications. In S. Taylor (Ed.), Anxiety Sensitivity: Theory, research, and treatment of the fear of anxiety (pp. 115-148). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox, B. J., Norton, G. R., & Swinson, R. (1992). The Panic Attack Questionnaire—Revised. Unpublished questionnaire, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Canada.

  • Ehlers, A. (1993). Somatic symptoms and panic attacks: A retrospective study of learning experiences. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 31, 269-278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson, G. A. (1981). Statistical analysis in psychology and education. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, L. A. (1978). Analyzing qualitative/categorical data. Cambridge, MA: Abt Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hale, L. R., & Calamari, J. E. (1999). Parental symptomatology and child anxiety: The role of trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity [Summary]. Program and Abstracts of the 19th National Conference of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, p. 87.

  • Jang, K. L., Stein, M. B., Taylor, S., Livesley, W. J. (1999). Gender differences in the etiology of anxiety sensitivity: A twin study. The Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine, 2, 39-44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, J. W. (1983). The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST). Chicago, IL: Camelot Unlimited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Davis, C. G., & Kendler, K. S. (1997). Childhood adversity and adult psychiatric disorder in the US National Comorbidity Survey. Psychological Medicine, 27, 1101-1119.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, A. B., Baker, J. M., Stewart, S. H. & Skinner, M. (2000). The effects of alcohol on the response to hyperventilation of participants high and low in anxiety sensitivity. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 24, 1656-1665.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacPherson, P. S. R., Stewart, S. H., & McWilliams, L. A. (2001). Parental problem drinking and anxiety disorder symptoms in adult offspring: Examining the mediating role of anxiety sensitivity components. Addictive Behaviors, 26, 917-934.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maller, R. G., & Reiss, S. (1992). Anxiety sensitivity in 1984 and panic attacks in 1987. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 6, 241-247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton, G. R., Dorward, J., & Cox, B. J. (1986). Factors associated with panic attacks in nonclinical subjects. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 17, 239-252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G., Tupling, H., & Brown, L. B. (1979). A Parental Bonding Instrument. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 52, 1-10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, R. A., & Reiss, S. (1992). Anxiety Sensitivity Index Manual (2nd ed.). Worthington, OH: International Diagnostic Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss, S. (1991). Expectancy theory of fear, anxiety, and panic. Clinical Psychology Review, 11, 141-153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss, S., & McNally, R. J. (1985). Expectancy model of fear. In S. Reiss & R. R. Bootzin (Eds.), Theoretical Issues in Behavior Therapy (pp. 107-121). Yew York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss, S., Peterson, R. A., Gursky, D. M., & McNally, R.J. (1986). Anxiety sensitivity, anxiety frequency, and the prediction of fearfulness. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 24, 1-8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scher, C. D., & Stein, M. B. (in press). Developmental antecedents of anxiety sensitivity. Journal of Anxiety Disorders.

  • Scher, C. D., Stein, M. B., Ingram, R. E., Malcarne, V. L., & McQuaid, J. R. (2002). The Parent Threat Inventory: Development, reliability, and validity. Child Abuse and Neglect, 26, 207-225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, N. B., Lerew, D. R., & Jackson, R. J. (1997). The role of anxiety sensitivity in the pathogenesis of panic: Prospective evaluation of spontaneous panic attacks during acute stress. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106, 355-364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, N. B., Santiago, H. T., & Wernicke, R. (2001). Evaluating the etiology of anxiety sensitivity: Relation to cardiovascular perception and reactivity. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 23, 85-92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., Lushene, R. E., Vagg, P. R, & Jacobs, G. A. (1983). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, M. B., Jang, K. L., & Livesley, W. J. (1999). Heritability of anxiety sensitivity: A twin study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 246-251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, S.H., Samoluk, S.B., & MacDonald, A.B. (1999). Anxiety sensitivity and substance use and abuse. In S. Taylor (Ed.), Anxiety sensitivity: Theory, research, and treatment of the fear of anxiety (pp. 287-319). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, S. H., Taylor, S., & Baker, J. M. (1997). Gender differences in dimensions of anxiety sensitivity. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 11, 179-200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, S. H., Taylor, S., Jang, K. L., Cox, B. J., Watt, M. C., Fedoroff, I. C., et al. (2001). Causal modeling of relations among learning history, anxiety sensitivity, and panic attacks. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 39, 443-456.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (1989). Using multivariate statistics (2nd ed.). New York: HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. (1995). Anxiety sensitivity: Theoretical perspectives and recent findings. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33, 243-258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watt, M. C., & Stewart, S. H. (2000). Anxiety sensitivity mediates the relationships between childhood learning experiences and elevated hypochondriacal concerns in young adulthood. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 49, 107-118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watt, M. C., & Stewart, S. H. (2003). Dyscontrol Experiences Questionnaire: Development, reliability and validity. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 25.

  • Watt, M., Stewart, S. H., & Cox, B. J. (1998). A retrospective study of the origins of anxiety sensitivity. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 505-525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitehead, W. E., Busch, C. M., Heller, B. R., & Costa, P. T. (1996). Social learning influences on menstrual symptoms and illness behaviour. Health Psychology, 5, 13-23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zinbarg, R. E., Mohlman, J., & Hong, N. N. (1999). Dimensions of anxiety sensitivity. In S. Taylor (Ed.), Anxiety sensitivity: Theory, research, and treatment of the fear of anxiety (pp. 83-113). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada

    Margo C. Watt

  2. Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    Sherry H. Stewart

Authors
  1. Margo C. Watt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sherry H. Stewart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margo C. Watt.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Watt, M.C., Stewart, S.H. The Role of Anxiety Sensitivity Components in Mediating the Relationship Between Childhood Exposure to Parental Dyscontrol and Adult Anxiety Symptoms. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 25, 167–176 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023572923371

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023572923371

Search

Navigation