Is Religious Coping a Moderator Of Perceived Control and Panic Symptoms in African American Adults?

Extant research has established a strong association between perceived control and anxiety; however, limited work has examined perceived control within the context of fear-based anxiety disorders and in ethnic minority populations. Further, scant attention has been paid to protective factors that may moderate the relationship between perceived control and anxiety. The current study investigated the relationship between perceived control, positive religious coping, and panic-related fears in a community-based African American adult sample ( N = 91, mean age = 38, 91% female). Results from hierarchical linear regression indicated that perceived control significantly predicted all panic subscales (i.e., total panic symptoms, agoraphobic fears, social phobia fears, interoceptive fears); however, positive religious coping moderated only the relationship between perceived control and agoraphobic fears. Simple slopes analyses revealed that increased levels of positive religious coping resulted in a strengthened negative relationship between perceived control and agoraphobic fears.

Psychometric properties of the social phobia and social interaction anxiety scales: evidence of construct equivalence in an African American sample

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Social Phobia Scale and Social Interaction Anxiety scale in a community sample of African Americans. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of the combined scales comparing the data to 2- and 3-factor solutions commonly reported in the literature. The results indicated that neither solution produce an adequate fit to the data in this study. We then proceeded to conduct an exploratory factor analysis within a confirmatory framework of both scales. While we were able to extract a 2-factor solution from the data, the item composition of the factors was somewhat different for African Americans than what is typically reported in non-Hispanic White samples. While we conclude that use of the two social anxiety scales is warranted, we make recommendations regarding the interpretation of both scales with African Americans.

Physical Triggers of Anxiety in African Americans

Understanding the primary triggers of anxiety for African Americans, and the cultural factors associated with these triggers, can enhance our knowledge of emotional responding in African Americans and can ultimately influence how we assess and treat anxiety disorders in this population. In the current study, we investigated the experience of anxiety for African Americans following physical stressors, with an emphasis on cardiovascular arousal. Specifically, anxious responding, following cardiovascular arousal, other physical stressors, and a control task, was evaluated among African American ( n = 23) and European American ( n = 23) groups on affective, cognitive, and physiological measures of anxiety. Findings suggest physical stressors in general (as opposed to cardiovascular arousal specifically) may be a prominent trigger of anxiety for African Americans. Discussion centers on the idea that the observed relationship between anxiety and physical stressors for African Americans may stem from a cultural sense of vulnerability regarding physical disease.

Psychometric properties of Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) original and short forms in an African American community sample

BACKGROUND

The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) has been widely used as a self-report measure of affect in community and clinical contexts. However, evaluations of the psychometric properties of PANAS scores have been limited in diverse ethnic groups. Several short forms of the PANAS have also been proposed, but very little is known about the psychometric properties of these versions.

METHODS

The present study investigated the psychometric properties, including the factor structure of the original PANAS and two short forms in an African American community sample (N=239). Descriptive, internal consistency reliability, factorial validity, and measurement invariance analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

All PANAS subscales from the original and short forms had adequate internal consistency. For the original PANAS, the model specifying three correlated factors (Positive Affect, Afraid, Upset) with correlated uniquenesses from redundant items provided the best fit to the data. However, the two-factor model (Positive Affect, Negative Affect) with correlated uniquenesses was also supported. For both short forms, the two-factor model with correlated uniquenesses fit the data best. Factors from all forms were generally invariant across age and gender, although there was some minor invariance at the item level.

LIMITATIONS

Participants were from a limited geographic area and one ethnic group. Indicators of anxiety, depression, and cultural characteristics were not measured.

CONCLUSION

The factor structure was replicated, suggesting no immediate concerns regarding the valid interpretation of PANAS scores. The results support the reliability and validity of the PANAS and its short forms for use among African Americans.