Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3

Anxiety sensitivity, or the fear of anxiety and related physiological sensations, has been found to amplify fears and operates as a risk factor for anxiety and related pathology. Factor analytic research of the original version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) demonstrated that anxiety sensitivity is a multidimensional construct, with the ASI assessing a higher order anxiety sensitivity factor and three lower-order components, including Physical, Cognitive, and Social concerns. Each domain has been shown to be strongly associated with and predictive of particular forms of anxiety and mood pathology. The Anxiety Sensitivity Index -3 (ASI-3), which represents the third in a series of ASI revisions, was developed to comprehensively assess the three components of anxiety sensitivity. The purpose of the present investigation was to elucidate the most theoretically and statistically accurate factor structure of the ASI-3 by testing previously evaluated models of anxiety sensitivity in an undergraduate sample, and extending the findings to a community sample that were administered the ASI-3 as a standalone measure. Measurement equivalence of the ASI-3 among the two samples was also evaluated. Results of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) indicated a hierarchical model provided the best fit to ASI-3 data. Findings of the multi-group comparison showed measurement invariance among undergraduates and community residents. Implications of these findings and possible directions for future research are discussed.