Development and Initial Validation of the Relaxation Sensitivity Index
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Development and Initial Validation of the Relaxation Sensitivity Index Christina M. Luberto 1,2 & Alison C. McLeish 1,3 & Rachel W. Kallen 1,4 Accepted: 28 August 2020/ # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Relaxation sensitivity indexes the fear of relaxation-related events. The purpose of this study was to develop and provide initial validation of a self-report measure of relaxation sensitivity, the Relaxation Sensitivity Index (RSI). Three independent samples of undergraduate students (n = 300 unselected, n = 349 nonclinical, and n = 197 with elevated anxiety/depression symptoms) completed self-report measures to examine the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the RSI. Results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a three-factor structure (correlated physical, cognitive, and social concerns). The RSI demonstrated good internal consistency and construct validity as evidenced by expected correlations with measures of anxiety and depression symptoms. The RSI showed good predictive validity in terms of a history of fearful responding to relaxation. RSI scores were significantly higher in the symptomatic compared with nonclinical sample. Results suggest the RSI is a valid and reliable measure that may be useful in clinical and research settings. Keywords Anxiety sensitivity . Construct validity . Psychometrics . Relaxation-induced
anxiety . Relaxation sensitivity
* Christina M. Luberto [email protected]
1
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, P.O. Box 210376, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0376, USA
2
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 100 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
3
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
4
Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2109, Australia
International Journal of Cognitive Therapy
Relaxation-induced anxiety is a relatively common occurrence that involves acute increases in anxiety as a result of relaxation (Cohen et al. 1985; Heide and Borkovec 1983; Heide and Borkovec 1984; Lazarus 1965; Wells 1990; Adler et al. 1987; Carrington 1977). It has been shown to occur during a variety of relaxation procedures among both chronically anxious and nonanxious individuals, with prevalence rates for anxious individuals ranging from 31 to 54% (Heide and Borkovec 1983; Lazarus 1976; Lehrer et al. 1983; Luthe and Blumberger 1977; Norton et al. 1985; Wells 1990). Theoretical accounts of relaxation-induced anxiety highlight the potential role of fears of physical and cognitive relaxation–related events. For example, relaxationinduced anxiety is theorized to result from hypervigilance to the physical or sensory effects of relaxation and the perceptions of these events as aversive or unpleasant (e.g., feelings of floating, muscle tension release; Lazarus and Mayne 1990; Heide and Borkovec 1984; Denny 1976). In terms of cognitive processes, relaxation-induced anxiety might occur as a result of unwanted cog
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