Premenstrual distress predicts panic-relevant responding to a CO2 challenge among young adult females

Abstract

The current study examined the incremental validity of self-reported premenstrual distress in predicting panic responsivity (self-reported panic symptoms and skin conductance response frequency; SCR) following inhalation of 10% CO2-enriched air. A community sample of young adult women (n = 46) completed questionnaires assessing substance use patterns, premenstrual symptoms and distress, and anxiety sensitivity and underwent a laboratory biological challenge procedure (4-min 10% CO2-enriched air inhalation). As hypothesized, higher premenstrual distress scores significantly predicted greater self-reported panic symptoms following the CO2 challenge above and beyond other theoretically relevant variables (anxiety sensitivity, cigarette use, and alcohol consumption). In predicting SCR, premenstrual distress exhibited only a trend towards statistical significance. These findings provide preliminary evidence that premenstrual symptoms may serve as a potential risk factor to experience more intense panic symptoms in response to perturbations in bodily sensations.

Prevalence and heritability of obsessive‐compulsive spectrum and anxiety disorder symptoms: A survey of the Australian Twin Registry

“…Our results may also be in line with animal studies reporting a role for sex‐specific hormones (i.e., progesterone) in the manifestation of anxiety and panic [Smith et al, ]. Along these lines, premenstrual distress has been shown to predict higher levels of panic symptoms following a CO 2 challenge [Nillni et al, ].…”

Biological sex and panic-relevant anxious reactivity to abrupt increases in bodily arousal as a function of biological challenge intensity

“…For example, women with PD undergoing a CO 2 -enriched air challenge responded with greater anxiety during the earliest phase of their menstrual cycle, compared to a latter phase (Perna, Bertani, et al, 1995;Perna, Brambilla, et al, 1995). Also, premenstrual distress among a sample of young adult women predicted panic symptoms during a similar biological challenge (Nillni, Rohan, Bernstein, & Zvolensky, 2010). These findings suggest that bodily-focused distress related to hormonal fluctuation may be another factor involved in the pattern observed here.…”

The role of menstrual cycle phase and anxiety sensitivity in catastrophic misinterpretation of physical symptoms during a CO2 challenge

“…Future research would benefit from examining more diverse samples in order to increase generalizeability of the findings. Second, the sample was a relatively healthy group of women with lower variability of AS scores as compared to other biological challenge studies using a community sample (e.g., Nillni et al 2010). Specifically, only 9% of the sample had an ASI score of ≥ 25, which is often used to denote high AS group status (e.g., Sigmon et al 1996) and as an inclusion criteria for prevention programs aimed at decreasing AS in at-risk groups (e.g., Schmidt et al 2007).…”