Validation of Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-16) on Nonclinical Sample of Rwandans: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Globally, anxiety diseases are the mental health concerns that increase the mortality and morbidity. Anxiety sensitivity (AS) refers to the tendency of individuals to fear anxiety-related symptoms due to the belief that these symptoms may have destructive consequences. A cross-sectional study was conducted to validate ASI-16 on a non-psychiatric sample of 90 recruited students from the University of Rwanda. The recruited participants were aged 19 to 37 years old [(Mean age (M=23.9, SD = 3.69)]. The findings confirmed a good internal consistence (Cronbach’s Alpha, α= 0.83). The results revealed the ASI-16 criterion related convergent validity of ASI-16 (r=.59; p=.000; ASI and STAI) and criterion related concurrent validity (r=.069; p=.51; ASI and BDI). Using factor analysis, the findings showed an overlapping of physical, psychological and social aspects attesting that ASI is one-dimensional tool assessing anxiety symptoms. More than a quarter (1/4) of items seemed to assess all three factors of ASI; this attested that there were interconnections between physical, psychological or cognitive and social aspects. The participants who scored highly were considered to have the anxiety symptoms. In the present sample, the t-test was computed to compare males and females on the ASI-16 total scores and showed that there was no significant difference at 5% level [(Mean of males=29.3, Mean of females=29.57), t (26.176) at p=.000]. The results confirmed that ASI-16 seems to be valid and reliable to screen anxiety symptoms in a Rwandan sample. ASI’s norms should be constructed on the Rwandan population.