Anxiety sensitivity (AS) has become one of the most well researched risk factors for the development of psychopathology. Research has found that the AS subfactor of cognitive concerns may be play an important role in PTSD, depression, and suicide. Fear reactivity to biological challenges (or laboratory procedures that induce symptoms of anxiety) have long been used as behavioral measures of AS. However, fear reactivity to these biological challenges correlates most strongly with AS physical concerns due to the induction of primarily physical symptoms of anxiety (e.g., racing heart, shortness of breath). Brief computerized interventions have proven successful in reducing overall AS, although these interventions have also focused on the nature of physical symptoms of anxiety. The current study (N = 59) investigated the relationship between fear reactivity to the induction of dissociative symptoms and AS cognitive concerns, as well as the efficacy of a computerized AS cognitive concerns focused brief intervention. The results demonstrated that individuals with higher AS cognitive concerns experienced greater fear reactivity to dissociative symptoms than individuals with lower AS cognitive concerns. Additionally, there was a significant effect of intervention condition such that individuals in the active treatment condition had lower AS cognitive concerns after the intervention controlling for baseline levels of AS cognitive concerns. The current study provides initial evidence of the utility of using fear reactivity to a dissociation challenge as a behavioral correlate of AS cognitive concerns. The current study also found successful amelioration of AS cognitive concerns though a brief computerized psychoeducation protocol. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of
Science. / Summer Semester, 2014. / June 2, 2014. / Anxiety, Anxiety Sensitivity, Computerized Intervention, Dissociation / Includes bibliographical references. / Norman B. Schmidt, Professor Directing Thesis; Jesse R. Cougle, Committee Member; Michael P. Kaschak, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_254482 |
| Contributors | Norr, Aaron Martin (authoraut), Schmidt, Norman B. (professor directing thesis), Cougle, Jesse R. (committee member), Kaschak, Michael P. (committee member), Department of Psychology (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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