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[Untitled]

Authors :
Georg H. Eifert
James E. Aikens
Michael J. Zvolensky
Source :
Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 24:155-167
Publication Year :
2001
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2001.

Abstract

Fear of bodily sensations has received extensive attention in relation to panic disorder, and more recently, other types of anxiety pathology and chronic pain problems. Extending this work, the present study examined fear of bodily sensations and its underlying dimensions in emergency room patients with Noncardiac Chest Pain (NCCP; n = 63). We posited a “differential specificity” hypothesis, expecting that specific cardiopulmonary fears would be more strongly associated with NCCP symptoms relative to other bodily fears. As hypothesized, participants reported cardiopulmonary sensations as significantly more fear-provoking than numbness, dissociation, and gastrointestinal sensations. Additionally, regression analysis indicated that after accounting for theoretically relevant demographic variables and health status, cardiopulmonary fear was the best predictor of a composite index of cardiac complaints intensity, even after removing variance related to the absolute number of cardiac complaints. We discuss these findings in relation to the specific role for the fear of cardiopulmonary sensations in chest pain complaints, with implications for better understanding the underlying psychological processes involved in NCCP.

Details

ISSN :
01607715
Volume :
24
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........8b785a1b5b8c4eaebb9436fdfcd5c623
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1010710614626