Casual relations between worry, worry attacks among patients with PTSD

This research investigates the role of anxiety in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To explore how worsens PTSD, we examine a path model of anxiety to see whether certain key variables (e.g. SSPA, Catastrophic thoughts, CAS, trauma recall, irritability) mediate the relationship between anxiety and PTSD.
The research was carried out on a sample of men and women with PTSD. 181 patients (112 males, 69 females) were selected by convenience sampling through a Diagnostic Structured Interview based on the DSM-IV-TR for PTSD. Data were collected using a CAS questionnaire, anxiety scale, catastrophizing thoughts scale, the scale of the Somatic symptoms of panic attack, trauma recall scale, irritability scale and revised scale of the impact of the event (IES-R) and obtained data were analyzed using the statistical methods of path analysis and structural equation modeling.
Result showed that Cognitive-attentional syndrome, trauma recall and irritability were mediated to some extent between anxiety, Somatic symptoms of panic attack and Catastrophic cognitions and posttraumatic stress disorder.
The findings suggest that focused on worry as a transdiagnostic concept can enhance the effect of the treatment.