Graduate student Mattea Pezza and faculty member Nicole Short (both Psychology) recently published a manuscript in the APA journal titled . In light of decades of literature demonstrating a positive association between anxiety sensitivity and PTSD, this manuscript aimed to add clarity to our understanding of anxiety sensitivity (or the fear of anxious arousal) as a risk factor for PTSD versus being simply an epiphenomenon of trauma exposure. Results indicate that levels of anxiety sensitivity were highest among individuals with trauma exposure and a likely diagnosis of PTSD, but that there was no significant difference in anxiety sensitivity among those without a likely diagnosis of PTSD, whether or not they have experienced trauma exposure. These results underline the potential value of AS-focused interventions in the prevention and treatment of PTSD.
