Fear of cognitive dyscontrol and depression

Introduction: Fear of cognitive dyscontrol -one of the lower-order factors of the Anxiety Sensitivity (AS) construct - has been proposed as a vulnerability factor for depression (DEP). AS-cognitive dyscontrol is supposed to act as either a pre-existent enduring vulnerability trait or a psychological post-depression “scar” which would render an individual vulnerable to future episodes of DEP. Objectives: Results from previous research on this topic are limited and inconsistent, and most of them were addressed using cross-sectional design. Aims: This study examined whether fear of cognitive dyscontrol did prospectively predict DEP. Methods: A total of 182 subjects from the general population participated in the study (69% females; Mean age = 32.6, SD = 14.3, Range = 18-65). Participants completed measures of AS and DEP at T1 and T2 (one year later). Results: Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for background variables and depression at T1, did not support the AS-cognitive dyscontrol domain as a significant predictor of DEP at T2. However, secondary analyses showed that scores on the AS-cognitive dyscontrol domain at T1 did significantly predict DEP at T2 among males and younger participants, while it did fail to predict DEP among females and older participants. Conclusions: Findings support the AS-cognitive dyscontrol facet as a pre-existent enduring vulnerability trait for DEP, and provide preliminary support to the role of age and gender as moderators of such a relationship, suggesting new insights to explain previous inconsistent results in the field.