The factor structure of the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index in German children

The Spanish Version of the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index: Factorial Dimensions and Invariance across Gender in a Sample of Adolescents

Anxiety sensitivity is a transdiagnostic construct that has been associated with the etiology of emotional disorders, especially panic and other anxiety disorders. Although it is well known that, for the adult population, the factor structure of anxiety sensitivity includes three separate facets (physical, cognitive, and social concerns), the facets of anxiety sensitivity for adolescents have not yet been established. The main goal of the present study was to examine the factor structure of the Spanish version of the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI). A large sample of nonclinical adolescents completed the Spanish version of the CASI in school settings (N = 1655; aged 11-17 years; 800 boys and 855 girls). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the full scale (CASI-18) indicate that a three first-order factor solution represents appropriately the three anxiety sensitivity facets previously defined for the adult population. The 3-factor structure had a better fit and was more parsimonious than a 4-factor solution. Results also indicate that the 3-factor structure remains invariant across genders. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on the total scale and on all three dimensions of anxiety sensitivity. In addition, the present study provides information concerning normative data for the scale. The CASI holds promise as a useful tool for assessing general and specific facets of anxiety sensitivity. It could be helpful for the assessment of this construct in clinical and preventive settings. The limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are outlined.

Sex differences in the genetic regulation of the blood transcriptome response to glucocorticoid receptor activation

Substantial sex differences have been reported in the physiological response to stress at multiple levels, including the release of the stress hormone, cortisol. Here, we explore the genomic variants in 93 females and 196 males regulating the initial transcriptional response to cortisol via glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activation. Gene expression levels in peripheral blood were obtained before and after GR-stimulation with the selective GR agonist dexamethasone to identify differential expression following GR-activation. Sex stratified analyses revealed that while the transcripts responsive to GR-stimulation were mostly overlapping between males and females, the quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) regulation differential transcription to GR-stimulation was distinct. Sex-stratified eQTL SNPs (eSNPs) were located in different functional genomic elements and sex-stratified transcripts were enriched within postmortem brain transcriptional profiles associated with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) specifically in males and females in the cingulate cortex. Female eSNPs were enriched among SNPs linked to MDD in genome-wide association studies. Finally, transcriptional sensitive genetic profile scores derived from sex-stratified eSNPS regulating differential transcription to GR-stimulation were predictive of depression status and depressive symptoms in a sex-concordant manner in a child and adolescent cohort (n = 584). These results suggest the potential of eQTLs regulating differential transcription to GR-stimulation as biomarkers of sex-specific biological risk for stress-related psychiatric disorders.

Emotion regulation abilities as a predictor of anxiety, positive emotions, heart rate, and alpha asymmetry during an impromptu speech task

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Recent approaches suggest that emotion regulation (ER) abilities represent potential predictors of emotional response among youths navigating stressful situations. To test this, we investigated whether ER abilities predicted the subjective and physiological emotional response experienced by youths during a stressful situation.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional design was employed.

METHOD

One hundred and thirty-four youths completed measures of ER abilities (emotional awareness, anxiety sensitivity, emotional control) and were asked to deliver a speech while their anxiety, positive emotions, heart rate, and alpha asymmetry were collected at four time points: baseline, anticipation, speech, and post-recovery.

RESULTS

Pearson r correlations showed that poor emotional control and awareness, as well as high anxiety sensitivity were related to greater anxiety and lower positive emotions experienced during the speech. Hierarchical multiple regressions also revealed that emotional control and emotional awareness predicted greater speech anxiety and lower positive emotions. Moreover, anxiety sensitivity was related to and predicted an increased heart rate experienced during speech.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that difficulties in emotional awareness, anxiety sensitivity, and emotional control predict the emotional response experienced by youths during a stressful situation. Interventions delivered by clinicians/teachers that target ER difficulties may be effective in improving emotional functioning when navigating stressful situations.

Do Youth with Separation Anxiety Disorder Differ in Anxiety Sensitivity From Youth with Other Anxiety Disorders?

Studies on the relationship between separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in childhood and panic disorder (PD) in adolescence and adulthood have yielded results which suggest a common underlying vulnerability for both disorders. In this study, we examined whether one such possible vulnerability-anxiety sensitivity-differed for youth diagnosed with SAD versus other anxiety disorders. Anxiety sensitivity was assessed using the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI) in 315 clinic-referred youth (ages 6-17, 113 girls). 145 children (46%) were diagnosed with one or more primary anxiety disorder, including SAD (n = 22), generalized anxiety (GAD) (n = 79), social anxiety (SocA) (n = 55), and specific phobia (SP) (n = 45). Children with SAD reported higher levels of anxiety sensitivity and fears of physical symptoms than children with SP and SocA, but not children with GAD. We speculate that children who have SAD and GAD and high anxiety sensitivity may be more vulnerable to develop PD.

Do Interoceptive Sensations Provoke Fearful Responses in Adolescents With Chronic Headache or Chronic Abdominal Pain? A Preliminary Experimental Study

Objective

To determine whether fear can be triggered when experiencing interoceptive sensations locally proximal to the primary pain region.  Two groups of adolescents (11-18 years) with chronic headache ( n  = 20) or chronic abdominal pain (CAP; n  = 20) completed three muscle tensing tasks to induce proximal versus distal sensations: (1) "frown" task (proximal for chronic headache; distal for CAP), (2) "tighten stomach" task (proximal for CAP; distal for chronic headache), and (3) safe comparison task (clench fist). Fear and avoidance were assessed via self-report. Adolescents with CAP reported greater fear and avoidance after the proximal compared with the distal task, while adolescents with chronic headache did not. Both groups reported similar levels of fear and avoidance in the frown and safe comparison task.  Results suggest that the perception of proximal interoceptive sensations appears to activate the fear system in adolescents with CAP. Future research is warranted.

Facets of the childhood anxiety sensitivity index among Serbian youth

Data from factor analytic studies using the Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI) suggest that global anxiety sensitivity (AS) is best represented by three or four underlying factors or facets. The aim of this study was to identify facets best representing the CASI structure in its Serbian version. Confirmatory factor analysis was used on data collected from 456 non-referred children in Serbia. A 13-item version of the CASI provided a better fit to the data than the original 18-item version. The four-factor model of the CASI-13 with disease, unsteady, mental incapacitation, and social concerns facets provided the best fits for the data and it was found to be fully invariant (configural, metric, and scalar invariance) across gender and age. Among Serbian children, hierarchical structure was found for a 13-item CASI version with a single higher-order factor of global AS represented by four underlying facets. Future research will consider these AS facets and their role in the development, maintenance, and exacerbation of anxiety symptoms in children.

The facets of anxiety sensitivity in adolescents

This study examined the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the German translation of the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI). A total of 1292 adolescents participated in the study. Analyses using the Schmid-Leiman solution showed the CASI to have one higher order factor and three orthogonal lower order factors. CASI scores correlated significantly with anxiety symptoms and with general difficulties. Hierarchical multiple regression showed CASI to make a significant contribution in predicting anxiety even after controlling for variance due to general difficulties, thus giving further support to the incremental validity of the CASI. The CASI is a potentially useful measure to include in longitudinal studies that examine the development of childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders.