The result comes out in a study by Alison McLeish of the University of Cincinnati.
By Sreekanth A Nair
If people have anxiety sensitivity along with asthma, it could be more debilitating and dangerous, says a new study. The study found that for such people, it would be very difficult to manage their asthma.
The study by Alison McLeish, a University of Cincinnati associate professor of psychology, Christina Luberto, a recent doctoral graduate from UC and clinical fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Emily O’Bryan, a graduate student in the UC Department of Psychology, will be presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) 49th Annual Convention. The convention takes place Nov. 12-15 in Chicago.
It explores the issues of asthmatic people having anxiety sensitivity and recommends treatment to help decrease asthma symptoms.
The researchers selected 101 college undergraduates who reported having asthma for the study. The experiment aimed to mimic asthma symptoms by having studied participants breathe in-and-out through a narrow straw, about the width of a coffee stirrer straw.
People who reported higher anxiety sensitivity not only reported greater anxiety during the straw-breathing task but also experienced greater asthma symptoms and decreased lung function.
“Anxiety sensitivity not only helps explain why we see higher rates of anxiety disorders, but also why anxiety is associated with poorer asthma outcomes,†said McLeish.
The UC presentation at the ABCT Convention is part of a Nov. 14 symposium titled, “Motivation Escape and Avoidant Coping: The Impact of Distress Intolerance on Health Behaviors.â€
The research will be published in an upcoming special issue of the journal Behavior Modification and is currently featured ahead of the print issue in the journal’s online first section.