Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of anxiety sensations which arises from beliefs that these sensations have harmful somatic, social, or psychological consequences. Over the past decade, AS has attracted a great deal of attention from researchers and clinicians with more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles published. In addition, AS has been the subject of numerous symposia, papers, and posters at professional conventions.
Why this growing interest?
Theory and research suggest that AS plays an important role in the etiology and maintenance of many forms of psychopathology, including anxiety disorders, depression, chronic pain, and substance abuse.
Bringing together experts from a variety of different areas, this volume offers the first comprehensive state-of-the-art review of AS--its conceptual foundations, assessment, causes, consequences, and treatment--and points new directions for future work. It will prove to be an invaluable resource for clinicians, researchers, students, and trainees in all mental health professions.
Table of Contents:
Contents: S. Rachman, Foreword. Preface. Part I:Conceptual Foundations.R.J. McNally, Theoretical Approaches to the Fear of Anxiety. S. Taylor, I.C. Fedoroff, The Expectancy Theory of Fear, Anxiety, and Panic: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis. S. Reiss, The Sensitivity Theory of Aberrant Motivation. Part II:Psychometric Foundations.R.A. Peterson, K. Plehn, Measuring Anxiety Sensitivity. R.E. Zinbarg, J. Mohlman, N.N. Hong, Dimensions of Anxiety Sensitivity. B.J. Cox, S.C. Borger, M.W. Enns, Anxiety Sensitivity and Emotional Disorders: Psychometric Studies and Their Theoretical Implications. S.O. Lilienfeld, Anxiety Sensitivity and the Structure of Personality. Part III:New Research on Basic Mechanisms: Causes and Consequences of Anxiety Sensitivity.R.J. McNally, Anxiety Sensitivity and Information-Processing Biases for Threat. M.B. Stein, R.M. Rapee, Biological Aspects of Anxiety Sensitivity: Is It All in the Head? N.B. Schmidt, Prospective Evaluations of Anxiety Sensitivity. Part IV:New Directions in Anxiety Sensitivity Research.W.K. Silverman, C.F. Weems, Anxiety Sensitivity in Children. G.J.G. Asmundson, Anxiety Sensitivity and Chronic Pain: Empirical Findings, Clinical Implications, and Future Directions. S.H. Stewart, S.B. Samoluk, A.B. MacDonald, Anxiety Sensitivity and Substance Use and Abuse. M.W. Otto, N.A. Reilly-Harrington, The Impact of Treatment on Anxiety Sensitivity. Part V:Conclusions.S. Taylor, B. Rabian, I.C. Fedoroff, Anxiety Sensitivity: Progress, Prospects, and Challenges.
Review :
"This book provides an excellent summary of the research and should be extremely useful to practitioners in particular."
—CHOICE
"Probably the most striking feature of this book is the quality of science. It is consistently outstanding. The authors have shown that anxiety sensitivity is a powerful construct for understanding not only anxiety and its disorders, but other disorders such as chemical abuse and chronic pain. Further, several chapters have carefully described how we can improve and extend the construct. Psychopathologists working with any disorder would benefit from reading this book. The chapters provide extremely good evidence of how our understanding of basic psychological processes can improve our understanding, assessment, and treatment of psychopathology. The editors and authors should be complimented for their extraordinary efforts."
—G. Ron Norton, Ph.D.
University of Winnipeg
"An excellent book on one of the most interesting and productive areas of anxiety disorders research in the last decade. Steven Taylor is to be congratulated on having put together a group of authors who are real authorities on anxiety sensitivity to provide a clear, concise account of a complex field. It is an absolutely essential book for anyone with an interest in the psychological mechanisms underlying anxiety."
—Richard P. Swinson, M.D., FRCPsych, FRCPC
McMaster University
"In the decade or so since the construct of 'anxiety sensitivity' forged its way into the collective conceptual consciousness of clinical scientists working in the area of anxiety, theoretical and empirical work has burgeoned. But many questions remained about the utility and reliability of this construct, as well as its fundamental properties. Now Steve Taylor has assembled the definitive work on this topic that establishes once and for all the centrality of anxiety sensitivity to the study of anxiety and its disorders. Any clinician or clinical scientist working in this area will need to be aware of the exciting advances detailed in this superbly conceptualized and edited book."
—David H. Barlow, Ph.D.
Boston University
