Beyond generalized anxiety: the association of anxiety sensitivity with disordered eating

Journal of Eating Disorders

Research

Timothy B. Hayes¹  Leslie D. Frazier¹  Maria Bazo Perez¹ 

[1] Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, 33199, Miami, FL, USA;

关键词: Anxiety sensitivity;    Generalized anxiety;    Disordered eating;    Structural equation modeling;    Eating Attitudes Test-26;    Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3;    Physical concerns;    Cognitive concerns;    Social concerns;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40337-023-00890-0

 received in 2023-04-29, accepted in 2023-09-12,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAnxiety and eating disorders (EDs) are rising at alarming rates. These mental health disorders are often comorbid, yet the factors associated with their comorbidity are not well understood. The present study examined a theoretical model of the pathways and relative associations of anxiety sensitivity (AS) with different dimensions of ED risk, controlling for generalized anxiety.MethodsParticipants (N = 795) were undergraduate students with an average age of 21 (SD = 4.02), predominantly female (71%), and Hispanic (71.8%). Participants completed an online survey with established measures of AS (i.e., Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3; ASI-3), general anxiety (i.e., Beck Anxiety Inventory; BAI), and eating behaviors (i.e., Eating Attitudes Test-26; EAT-26).ResultsThe results of our structural equation models indicated that AS subscales were significantly associated with dimensions of the EAT-26, even when controlling for generalized anxiety. Specifically, the ASI-3 factors reflecting cognitive and social concerns provided the most consistent significant associations with EDs. Whereas reporting higher cognitive concerns was associated with higher ED symptoms (e.g., reporting the urge to vomit after a meal), reporting higher social concerns was associated with fewer ED symptoms. These differential results may suggest risk and resilience pathways and potential protective or buffering effects of social concerns on ED risk.DiscussionFindings advance understanding of the role of AS in the comorbidity of anxiety and EDs, demonstrating the strong association of AS with ED pathology. These findings provide cognitive indicators for transdiagnostic therapeutic intervention in order to reduce the risk of EDs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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