Anxiety Sensitivity (AS) is a useful psychological construct in understanding the development of general and clinical anxiety. An increased amount of research has recently been conducted in this area. Since the development of the 16-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), there has been deliberation in the literature about the relationship of the AS construct and the ASI, to the personality construct of trait anxiety. Central to this discus sion is the notion that AS is nothing more than trait anxiety. This position brings into question the conceptual and empirical validity of AS. This study aimed to explore and describe the relationship between trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity, through the use of an exploratory-descriptive correlational design. Levels of trait anxiety were determined through the use of subscales on the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) and anxiety sensitivity through the use of the ASI. Using a convenience sampling technique, 84 student volunteers completed the 16PF and ASI. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis. The results indicate that the sample group had the capacity to express emotional energy along integrated channels and was thus well suited for exploring the relationship between the construct of trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity. The relationship between trait anxiety and AS in the sample group was explored through the use of two statistical procedures. Firstly, the coefficient of determination (r²) was calculated and revealed that 24% of the variance among the ASI scores were attributable to variations in Factor QII scores of the 16PF and viceversa. Secondly, a multiple regression analysis technique revealed that 28% of the variance in the ASI score could be explained by the combination of factors Q4 (free- floating anxiety), O (guilt proneness), C (ego strength), L (suspiciousness), Q3 (ability to bind anxiety) of the 16PF. These key findings are in line with other research in that the constructs of trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity showed a level of variance. As such, it was concluded that although the constructs may be related, they are not synonymous.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:11021 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Farrington, Robin Mark |
| Publisher | University of Port Elizabeth, Faculty of Health Sciences |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MA |
| Format | 132 pages, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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