CHILD ANXIETY SENSITIVITY INDEX - CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS

Investigated the phenomenon of anxiety sensitivity in children diagnos ed with anxiety disorders using the Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index (C ASI; Silverman, Fleisig, Rabian, & Peterson, 1991). Among children 12 years and older, the CASI was found to predict unique variance in trai t anxiety beyond simpler constructs of physical distress or fear. In 7 - to 11-year olds, however, the CASI did not predict unique variance i n the same analyses. Product-term regression analysis demonstrated a s ignificant nonlinear interaction of age with anxiety sensitivity. Alth ough there is support for the construct of anxiety sensitivity in chil dren with anxiety disorders, it appears that such a phenomenon may be limited to older developmental levels. Findings challenge existing not ions of the applicability of the CASI across ages.