Cognitive Errors, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Anxiety Control Beliefs

Abstract

This study examined the interrelations among negative cognitive errors, anxiety sensitivity, and anxiety control beliefs and explored their unique and specific associations with anxiety symptoms in a community sample of youth. Existing research has suggested that these constructs are related to childhood anxiety disorder symptoms; however, additional research is needed to test the interrelations among negative cognitive errors, anxiety sensitivity, and anxiety control beliefs and to determine if they show unique and specific associations with anxiety symptoms. The results of this study indicated that negative cognitive errors, anxiety sensitivity, and anxiety control beliefs were associated with each other and that they demonstrated unique concurrent associations with childhood anxiety disorder symptoms. Moreover, certain cognitive biases showed specificity in their association with anxiety symptoms versus depressive symptoms.