The Role of Trait Anxiety as a Moderator in the Relationship between Fear Generalization and Subclinical Levels of Panic

Abstract

Panic disorder (PD) is a devastating and costly condition which has become more prevalent. In recent years, more has been uncovered as to how PD develops and is maintained. Fear generalization (FG), the tendency to respond fearfully to cues less and less like a prior learning experience, is one factor that has been associated with PD. Trait anxiety (TA) is a well-established and measured anxiety construct which has been shown to correlate with PD. This study examines TA as a moderator between FG and panic symptoms (PS). A non-clinical sample (N = 85) was exposed to a fear generalization paradigm. Both electromyographically measured fear-potentiated startle responses (EMG) and self ratings were used to record responses. After finishing the generalization paradigm, participants completed questionnaires which measured PS and TA. Participants were divided by median along two PS measures and TA. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed no significant interactions in the EMG responses, but did find significant three-way interactions in the self rating data. Additionally, the data indicated low responses to the conditioned danger stimulus in the risk rating data, which prevents further interpretation of the effect as a form of fear generalization. The findings shed more light on how PD could develop or maintain. Limitations of the study include the use of a non-clinical sample and a potential lack of power for finding generalization effects in such a population. The effects of using different instruments for measuring fear responses, and potential new avenues for research are discussed.