Relations between common and specific factors of anxiety sensitivity and distress tolerance and fear, distress, and alcohol and substance use disorders

Abstract

Whereas it has been speculated that the psychopathology risk factors anxiety sensitivity (AS) and distress tolerance (DT) are highly overlapping, no studies have examined whether a core affect sensitivity construct explains this relation. It was hypothesized that, in a sample of 808 treatment-seeking individuals (M(age) = 35.11, SD = 14.94), the best-fitting confirmatory factor analysis model of AS and DT would comprise a common underlying affect sensitivity factor orthogonal to DT and lower-order AS factors (physical, cognitive, and social concerns). It was also hypothesized that specific relations between the factors and fear, distress, and alcohol/substance use disorders would emerge. The best-fitting model comprised a common affect sensitivity factor orthogonal to DT and lower-order AS factors. Whereas the affect sensitivity and DT factors were associated with fear, distress, and alcohol/substance use disorders, AS cognitive concerns was only related to distress disorders and AS social concerns was only related to fear disorders.

Keywords: Alcohol and substance use disorder; Anxiety sensitivity; Bifactor modeling; Distress tolerance; Emotional distress disorders.