Anxiety sensitivity and PTSD among female victims of intimate partner violence

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between anxiety sensitivity (AS) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women. The study involved three groups: women with no history of exposure to serious trauma (n = 30), women who had been exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) but never developed PTSD (n = 23), and women with IPV exposure and current PTSD (n = 19). As a part of a larger study, they completed measures of AS, PTSD symptomatology, and depression. Women with PTSD reported the highest levels of AS, although traumatized women with PTSD reported more AS than did women with no trauma history. AS-related psychological concerns were a statistical predictor of PTSD symptoms when the entire sample of women was considered but not among the subset with a trauma history. Nonetheless, AS may be an important factor to consider in treatment of individuals with PTSD.