The relationship between 23 specific panic attack symptoms and the 16
items of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index was investigated using a factor
analytic procedure with a large sample (N = 209) of panic disorder pa
tients. A five-factor model resulted in three panic symptom clusters (
cardio-respiratory, dizziness-related, and cognitive symptoms) and two
anxiety sensitivity factors (fear of physical symptoms and fear of ps
ychological symptoms). The five-factor model accounted for 50% of the
variance. There was some overlap between anxiety sensitivity and panic
symptomatology and the cognitive panic symptom ''fear of dying'' load
ed strongly on the anxiety sensitivity fear of physical sensations fac
tor rather than on any of the panic symptoms factors, These results de
monstrate that anxiety sensitivity can be independent of panic and are
also consistent with a cognitive view of panic in which catastrophic
cognitions that occur during a panic attack are more associated with a
cognitive style or personality trait than with the severity of physic
al symptoms.