Casey D Wright1, Cecelia I Nelson2, Jamey T Brumbaugh2, Daniel W McNeil3,4. 1. Department of Psychology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, 53 Campus Drive, PO Box 6040, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA. cdw0022@mix.wvu.edu. 2. Department of Psychology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, 53 Campus Drive, PO Box 6040, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA. 3. Department of Psychology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, 53 Campus Drive, PO Box 6040, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA. dmcneil@wvu.edu. 4. Department of Dental and Rural Practice, School of Dentistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA. dmcneil@wvu.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The link between anxiety/fear and gut dysfunction has been robustly documented in both physical and mental health literatures. The current study explored distress tolerance as a potential mechanism in the relation between anxiety sensitivity and gut-specific anxiety. METHOD: A cross-sectional sample of 828 adults completed measures of distress tolerance, gut-specific anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to determine variable associations, including potential mediating factors. RESULTS: The results demonstrated a bidirectional relation between anxiety sensitivity and gut-specific anxiety (ß = 0.23, p < 0.001; ß = 0.22, p < 0.001). Findings suggest distress tolerance is a significant mediator that may partially explain the relation between gut-specific anxiety and anxiety sensitivity more broadly (ß = 0.11, CI [0.07-0.14]). Mediation results were consistent when individual subscales of distress tolerance or anxiety sensitivity were incorporated. CONCLUSION: The outcome of the present study merits additional examination of the psychosomatic nature of distress tolerance as a potential clinical target for individuals with both anxiety and gut-related disorders.
BACKGROUND: The link between anxiety/fear and gut dysfunction has been robustly documented in both physical and mental health literatures. The current study explored distress tolerance as a potential mechanism in the relation between anxiety sensitivity and gut-specific anxiety. METHOD: A cross-sectional sample of 828 adults completed measures of distress tolerance, gut-specific anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to determine variable associations, including potential mediating factors. RESULTS: The results demonstrated a bidirectional relation between anxiety sensitivity and gut-specific anxiety (ß = 0.23, p < 0.001; ß = 0.22, p < 0.001). Findings suggest distress tolerance is a significant mediator that may partially explain the relation between gut-specific anxiety and anxiety sensitivity more broadly (ß = 0.11, CI [0.07-0.14]). Mediation results were consistent when individual subscales of distress tolerance or anxiety sensitivity were incorporated. CONCLUSION: The outcome of the present study merits additional examination of the psychosomatic nature of distress tolerance as a potential clinical target for individuals with both anxiety and gut-related disorders.
Entities:
Keywords:
Anxiety; Distress tolerance; Gut-specific anxiety; Health psychology; Psychogastroenterology
Authors: Shahram Mohammadkhani; Mehdi Akbari; Maede Shahbahrami; Mohammad Seydavi; Daniel C Kolubinski Journal: J Ration Emot Cogn Behav Ther Date: 2022-06-27