Ataques De Nervios In Relation to Anxiety Sensitivity Among Island Puerto Ricans

Abstract

This study investigated the symptom profile of ataques de nervios (ADN) among Puerto Rican volunteers from the community who self-identified as having experienced at least one ataque. As expected, the most commonly reported ataques-specific symptoms were crying, anger, nervousness, and becoming hysterical. Comparing the responses of those with ADN to those with no history of ADN but who reported elevated anxiety sensitivity (AS) indicated that both groups were comparable on measures of depression, state and trait anxiety, and associated panic symptoms. As expected, both groups scored significantly higher on all measures than did participants with no history of ADN and low AS with the exception of the measure of state anxiety. It is unclear, however, whether the overlap in symptom severity between those with ADN and those with elevated anxiety sensitivity indicates that ADN and AS are the same or distinct conditions.

Culture-bound syndromes in Spanish speaking Latin America: the case of Nervios, Susto and Ataques de Nervios

“…Individuals who reported having had Nervios or Ataques de Nervios in the past in these populations showed higher levels of anxiety 29,34 and anticipation of anxiety symptoms 34 . Puerto Ricans with a history of Ataques de Nervios also had 3 times more risk of experiencing generalized anxiety disorder and were 25 times more likely to have panic disorders, when compared with individuals with no history of Ataques de Nervios 32 .…”

“…The articles reviewed indicate that the patients reporting having suffered Susto, Nervios or Ataques de Nervios present increased chances of having suffered depression, anxiety, panic disorders and PTSD 19,20,23,29,33,34,37 . However, the way these articles evaluate this is based on the reports of the individuals about their past, and so it carries the bias of memory and interpretation.…”

“…Four 17,29,33,34 showed a higher proportion of female victims of Ataques de Nervios and Nervios. In these studies, 76% to 78% of those affected were female.…”

“…With respect to socio-demographic description, seven studies 17,19,23,27,29,33,34 were identified. Four 17,29,33,34 showed a higher proportion of female victims of Ataques de Nervios and Nervios.…”

“…Individuals who reported having Nervios or Ataques de Nervios were also identified as having suffered from depression, according to their responses to different mental health questionnaires. Snyder et al 29 used a questionnaire of symptoms based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) while Cintron et al 34 and Weller et al 33 used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Guarnaccia et al 19 , in an epidemiological study in Puerto Rico, found that individuals who reported Ataques de Nervios were 9 times more likely to have depressive symptoms compared to individuals without a history of Ataques de Nervios.…”