Anxiety sensitivity and panic attack symptomatology among low-income African±American adolescents Golda S. Ginsburg a,* , Kelly L. Drake b a Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street/CMSC 312, Baltimore, MD 21287-3325, USA b University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA Received 14 February 2000; received in revised form 15 June 2000; accepted 24 July 2000 Abstract This study examined the concurrent and prospective relation between anxiety sensi- tivity (AS) and panic attack symptomatology among a community sample of African± American adolescents (N  107; mean age 15.6 years) from predominantly low-income, single-parent households. On two occasions, 6 months apart, youth completed self-report measures of AS, measured by the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI), and panic symptomatology, measured by the Panic Attack Questionnaire (PAQ) and/or the Panic subscale of the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED-P). Results indicated that adolescents with high levels of AS reported higher concurrent levels of panic symptomatology, compared to their less anxious peers. Earlier levels of AS were correlated with panic symptoms 6 months later but did not predict later panic symptoms once initial levels of panic were controlled. Panickers, compared to non-panickers, also reported signi®cantly higher levels of AS at Time 2. Overall, these ®ndings are consistent with research on AS and panic in adult and Caucasian populations and support the hypothesis that elevated levels of AS may be one of several risk factors implicated in the development of panic attack symptomatology. # 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Anxiety sensitivity; Adolescents; Panic Anxiety Disorders 16 (2002) 83±96 * Corresponding author. Tel.: 1-410-955-1544; fax: 1-410-955-8691. E-mail address: gginsbu@jhmi.edu (G.S. Ginsburg). 0887-6185/02/$ ± see front matter # 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. PII:S0887-6185(01)00092-5