Resumen
In the present study, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index [ASI; Behav. Res. Ther. 24 (1986) 1] was administered to 282 American Indian and Alaska Native college students in a preliminary effort to: (a) evaluate the factor structure and internal consistency of the ASI in a sample of Native Americans; (b) examine whether this group would report greater levels of anxiety sensitivity and gender and age-matched college students from the majority (Caucasian) culture lesser such levels; and (c) explore whether gender differences in anxiety sensitivity dimensions varied by cultural group (Native American vs. Caucasian). Consistent with existing research, results of this investigation indicated that, among Native peoples, the ASI and its subscales had high levels of internal consistency, and a factor structure consisting of three lower-order factors (i.e. Physical, Psychological, and Social Concerns) that all loaded on a single higher-order (global Anxiety Sensitivity) factor. We also found that these Native American college students reported significantly greater overall ASI scores as well as greater levels of Psychological and Social Concerns relative to counterparts from the majority (Caucasian) culture. There were no significant differences detected for ASI physical threat concerns. In regard to gender, we found significant differences between males and females in terms of total and Physical Threat ASI scores, with females reporting greater levels, and males lesser levels, of overall anxiety sensitivity and greater fear of physical sensations; no significant differences emerged between genders for the ASI Psychological and Social Concerns dimensions. These gender differences did not vary by cultural group, indicating they were evident among Caucasian and Native Americans alike. We discuss the results of this investigation in relation to the assessment of anxiety sensitivity in American Indians and Alaska Natives, and offer directions for future research with the ASI in Native peoples.
| Idioma original | English |
|---|---|
| Páginas (desde-hasta) | 477-493 |
| Número de páginas | 17 |
| Publicación | Behaviour Research and Therapy |
| Volumen | 39 |
| N.º | 4 |
| DOI | |
| Estado | Published - 2001 |
Nota bibliográfica
Funding Information:Sincere appreciation is extended to the students, staff, and faculty of Haskell Indian Nations University for their enduring and strong support of this project. We thank Jim Riel at West Virginia University for his assistance with data entry and management. We also appreciate the helpful comments of Dr M. Katherine Shear in regard to the discussion of gender issues in the present paper. Thanks are expressed to the Native American Studies Committee, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, for their support of this research. This research was supported, in part, from the Native American Studies Research/Service Fund and the Carolyn Reyer Endowment for Native American Studies at the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University awarded to the first author. Research awards to the second author from the Department of Psychology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and West Virginia University helped to support this project. Finally, this research also was supported, in part, by a Medical Research Council of Canada Grant MT-12514 awarded to the fourth author.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
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