Abstract
Objective
This study established cognitive vulnerability of anxiety symptoms among high school students.
Method
A total of 72 grade 9–11 students completed measures on levels of anxiety sensitivity (AS), selective attentional processing, and anxiety symptoms annually between 2016 and 2018.
Results
Latent class growth analysis (unconditional model) showed a four‐class model: High (stable) (6.94%), low (stable) (11.11%), medium (decreasing) (61.11%), and medium (increasing) (20.83%). The conditioned model controlling for the physical‐concerns dimension of AS and negative attentional bias demonstrated that a two‐class model consisted of a low anxiety class (n = 59, 81.9%) and a high anxiety class (n = 13, 18.1%) provided the best fit for the data. Negative attentional bias is a significant factor related to the development of anxiety trajectories.
Conclusion
Attentional bias modification to disengage from negative stimuli may serve as a potential target of intervention to reduce chronic anxiety among high school students.