Predicting the Severity of Panic Disorder Based on Cognitive Avoidance, Distress Tolerance and Cognitive Flexibility of Patients with Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders that causes many problems for people and the community. This study aims to determine the severity of panic disorder based on cognitive avoidance, distress tolerance and cognitive flexibility in patients with panic disorder.

This is a correlational study with a predictive design conducted on 130 patients with panic disorder in Isfahan, Iran, who were selected by a sequential sampling method. In order to measure the study variables, the Panic Disorder Severity Scale, the Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire, the Distress Tolerance Scale, and the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory were used. In order to analyze the collected data, we used Pearson correlation test and stepwise regression analysis in SPSS v. 23 software.

The results showed that the severity of panic disorder was directly and significantly related to cognitive avoidance (P<0.01) and significantly and indirectly related to distress tolerance (P<0.01). The severity of panic disorder was indirectly related to cognitive flexibility, but it was not significant (P> 0.05), although due to the direct and significant correlation between cognitive flexibility and cognitive avoidance (P<0.01), a part of the relationship between panic disorder severity and cognitive flexibility was expected after mediation by cognitive avoidance.

Cognitive avoidance, distress tolerance, and cognitive flexibility have the ability to predict the severity of panic disorder.