The present proposal aims to fill a gap in the existing literature by developing theory and research on exposure to aversive life events and one's expectancies about those events, as applied to the etiology of panic disorder. The main purpose of the proposed research is to establish that the expectancy of anxiety in response to bodily sensations can result in acute emotional consequences akin to that commonly seen in panic disorder, and that such effects are potentiated when the onset of bodily stress is unpredictable compared to predictable. Anxiety expectancies will be experimentally manipulated before exposure to predictable and unpredictable episodes of bodily sensations. It is hypothesized that expectancies for anxiety will be associated with relatively more negative emotional consequences under conditions of unpredictable compared to predictable somatic perturbation. Additionally, it is hypothesized that an individual's preference for information regarding the onset of bodily perturbation is partially a function of the extent to which they expect somatic symptoms to elicit anxiety. The overall objective of this research program is to develop knowledge about the cognitive vulnerability processes of response expectancy and predictability as they apply to understanding the etiology of panic disorder.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
1F32MH069037-01A1
Application #
6738209
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BBBP-5 (60))
Program Officer
Altman, Fred
Project Start
2003-09-17
Project End
2006-09-16
Budget Start
2003-09-17
Budget End
2004-09-16
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$44,255
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Vermont & St Agric College
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
066811191
City
Burlington
State
VT
Country
United States
Zip Code
05405
Yartz, Andrew R; Zvolensky, Michael J; Bernstein, Amit et al. (2008) Panic-relevant predictability preferences: a laboratory test. J Abnorm Psychol 117:242-6
McLeish, Alison C; Zvolensky, Michael J; Yartz, Andrew R et al. (2008) Anxiety sensitivity as a moderator of the association between smoking status and anxiety symptoms and bodily vigilance: replication and extension in a young adult sample. Addict Behav 33:315-27
Zvolensky, Michael J; Vujanovic, Anka A; Miller, Marcel O Bonn et al. (2007) Incremental validity of anxiety sensitivity in terms of motivation to quit, reasons for quitting, and barriers to quitting among community-recruited daily smokers. Nicotine Tob Res 9:965-75
Gregor, Kristin; Zvolensky, Michael J; Leen-Feldner, Ellen W et al. (2006) Perceived health: a test of incremental validity in relation to smoking outcome expectancies, motivation to smoke and desire to quit smoking. Cogn Behav Ther 35:28-42
Zvolensky, Michael J; Solomon, Sondra E; McLeish, Alison C et al. (2006) Incremental validity of mindfulness-based attention in relation to the concurrent prediction of anxiety and depressive symptomatology and perceptions of health. Cogn Behav Ther 35:148-58