Amelioration of Anxiety Sensitivity Cognitive Concerns: Exposure to Dissociative Symptoms

• Other Authors: Norr, Aaron Martin (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Psychology
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_SUMMER2017_Norr_fsu_0071E_13096

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 play an important role in PTSD, depression, and suicide. AS reduction protocols commonly use interoceptive exposure (IE), or exposure to bodily sensations, to reduce AS. However, current IE paradigms (e.g., CO2 inhalation, straw breathing, hyperventilation) primarily induce physical anxiety symptoms (e.g., racing heart, dizziness), and thus might not be optimal for the reduction of AS cognitive concerns. Previous work has shown that fear reactivity during the induction of dissociative symptoms is uniquely associated with AS cognitive concerns, and therefore it is possible that repeated exposure to dissociative symptoms will result in habituation and decreased AS cognitive concerns. The current study investigated whether repeated exposure to the induction of dissociative symptoms would reduce AS cognitive concerns, and thus be viable as an IE component of treatments directly targeting AS cognitive concerns. Participants (N = 50) who scored at or above 1 SD above the mean on the ASI-3 cognitive subscale were randomly assigned to repeated exposure to dissociative symptoms through audio-visual stimulation or to a control condition (repeatedly listening to classical music). Results revealed that the classical music control condition resulted in significant decreases in AS cognitive concerns as compared the active dissociation exposure treatment. Unfortunately, these results do not support the viability of this exposure paradigm in the current format as a treatment for elevated AS cognitive concerns. Future directions include increasing the potency of the symptoms induced, increasing the number of exposures, and providing a stronger conceptual framework for the participants prior to undergoing the exposures. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. === Spring Semester 2016. === March 29, 2016. === Includes bibliographical references. === Norman Schmidt, Professor Directing Dissertation; Mark Winegardner, University Representative; Wen Li, Committee Member; Jesse Cougle, Committee Member; James McNulty, Committee Member.