불안장애 집단에 있어서 불안민감성의 차이

Difference in Anxiety Sensitivity Among Anxiety Disorder Groups

Objectives The present study aimed to compare anxiety sensitivity among anxiety disorder groups, and to examine the relationships between lower-order factors of anxiety sensitivity and each anxiety disorder. Methods Three hundred and twenty four normal control subjects and 212 patients with anxiety disorders were enrolled in this study. All subjects completed a psychometric assessment package including the Korean Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASI-R) test. Statistical analysis of the two groups was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and comparison of anxiety sensitivity among the anxiety-disorder groups (panic disorder-PD, general anxiety disorder-GAD, social phobia- SP, obsessive-compulsive disorder-OCD) was investigated using Kruskal-Wallis test. Results All anxiety disorder groups showed higher total scores of the ASI-R than did the normal control group (Z=-13.724, p<.001), and the mean total score of the ASI-R in the panic disorder group was the highest among the anxiety disorder groups. The mean score of each lower-order factor of the ASI-R in each anxiety disorder group was higher than that of the normal control group and there were statistically significant differences in fear of cardiovascular symptoms (PD,GAD>SP,OCD), fear of respiratory symptoms (PD>GAD, SP,OCD), and fear of publicly observable anxiety reactions (SP>PD,OCD) among the anxiety disorder groups. Conclusion These results suggest that anxiety sensitivity reflects vulnerability to anxiety disorders, and that lower-order factors of the ASI-R may help in the differential diagnosis of anxiety disorders