On July 13, 2021, Michael Wheaton, assistant professor of psychology, published new research in the International Journal of Cognitive Therapy in collaboration with Barnard graduate Nikki Kaiser ’19. The article, “Anxiety Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty as Factors Related to Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder Symptoms,” investigates the levels of adult separation anxiety disorder (ASAD) symptoms, anxiety sensitivity (AS), and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) in a sample of community-dwelling adults. The study’s goal was to determine if AS and IU contribute to ASAD symptoms.
In a series of trials, Wheaton and Kaiser found that AS and IU both “incrementally contributed to the concurrent prediction of ASAD symptoms.” Though more research, including study replication using clinical samples, is needed to clarify how anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty affect the severity and symptoms of adult separation anxiety disorder, this finding may prove useful in the development of new and more effective treatments for ASAD.