Electrodermal lability in anxiety disorders

Twenty‐eight anxiety patients, aged below 50 years, were diagnosed according to DSM‐III‐R criteria (panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, generalised anxiety disorder, and anxiety disorder not otherwise specified). The patients were characterised by high levels of state and trait anxiety and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scandinavian journal of psychology 1996-03, Vol.37 (1), p.103-108
Main Authors: JENSEN, HANS HENRIK, HASLE, NICOLAS, BIRKET-SMITH, MORTEN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Agoraphobia - diagnosis
Agoraphobia - physiopathology
Agoraphobia - psychology
Anxiety disorders
Anxiety Disorders - diagnosis
Anxiety Disorders - physiopathology
Anxiety Disorders - psychology
Arousal - physiology
duration of anxiety symptoms
electrodermal lability
Extraversion (Psychology)
extroversion
Female
Galvanic skin response
Galvanic Skin Response - physiology
Habituation, Psychophysiologic - physiology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Panic Disorder - diagnosis
Panic Disorder - physiopathology
Panic Disorder - psychology
Patients
Personality Inventory
Psychophysiology
psychoticism
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Summary:Twenty‐eight anxiety patients, aged below 50 years, were diagnosed according to DSM‐III‐R criteria (panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, generalised anxiety disorder, and anxiety disorder not otherwise specified). The patients were characterised by high levels of state and trait anxiety and neuroticism, compared with the controls. However, there were no differences between patients and controls in electrodermal habituation rate, non‐specific activity, or skin resistance level. When the patients were divided into electrodermally labile and stable subjects, significant differences were found between patients and controls in both electrodermal activity and Eysenck's personality dimensions. The labile patients were more introverted and attained higher psychoticism scores than either the stable patients or controls. Duration of anxiety symptoms removed the difference found in extroversion, but not in any other variable. The results are discussed in relation to the utility of electrodermal measurements in validation of diagnostic entities. It is concluded, that from the psychophysiological point of view, anxiety disorders may be examined within a dimensional framework.
ISSN:0036-5564
1467-9450
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9450.1996.tb00643.x