A Study On The Developmental Characteristics Of Anxiety Sensitivity Of Middle-School Student

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) refers to the fear of anxiety-related sensations that are interpreted as having potentially harmful somatic, psychological, or social consequences, and hence give rise to significant anxiety (Taylor, 1995). Researchs in adult populations aad children have provided evidence for the notion that anxiety sensitivity should be considered as a vulnerability factor to anxiety disorders, in particular panic disorder. The research of Anxiety sensitivity have provided some new clues for clinical psychology, and provided some new important imformation for prevention and diagnosis of personality disorder and psychiatry. This study has translated and desived the Anxiety sensitivity questionnaire (ASQ) and measured the students from Grade One of junior high school to Grade Three of senior high school in Chongqing city. Then we discuss the developmental characteristics of AS of adolescent ,and explore the influencing factors of middle school students'AS .The result of this study bring about the following conclusions:1. The ASQ devised has satisfying reliability and validity. The ASQ have three factors: Physical concern, Cognitive concern, Social concern.2. The level of middle school student'AS increases along with their age and grades; Grade 2 of junior school and Grade 2 of senior school is at the top.3. The level of middle school student'AS has gender differences, and the level of girl'AS is always higher than boys.4. The development of AS can be predicted by four factors such as study pressure,State-Trait Anxiety, sex, relationship with persons and singleton.5. State-Trait Anxiety, school factors, self-developing factor, life events have direct functions on development of AS; family factors have indirect functions on middle school student'AS.