Positive Affect Regulation in Anxiety Disorders

Lori R. Eisner a,*, Sheri L. Johnson b, Charles S. Carver aa

University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0751, United Statesb

University of California, Berkeley, United States

ABSTRACT

Although individual differences exist in how people respond to positive affect (PA), little researchaddresses PA regulation in people with anxiety disorders. The goal of this study was to provideinformation about responses to PA in people with symptoms of social phobia, generalized anxietydisorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The tendency to dampen PAand the ability to savor PA were examined in an undergraduate sample. Analyses examined the uniquelinks between these reactions and symptoms of anxiety disorders, controlling for a history of depression.Given the high comorbidity of depression and anxiety, exploratory analyses further controlled forgeneralized anxiety disorder. Results demonstrated that one or both measures of affect regulation madea unique and substantial contribution to predicting each anxiety disorder except agoraphobia, above andbeyond prediction afforded by symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Clinicalimplications and areas for future research are discussed.

2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd.