Hyperventilation, Anxiety Sensitivity, and the Expectations for Alcohol Use: Subjective and Physiological Reactivity to Alcohol Cues

The present study examined the relation between alcohol-related expectancies, body sensation fear and reactions to cues for alcohol following a hyperventilation task. Forty-two undergraduate students participated for course credit. Each student hyperventilated for 5 min, paced at a rate of 30 breaths per minute. Following hyperventilation, each student was exposed to containers with alcohol (beer and wine coolers), with subjective urge to consume and heart rate measures taken. Path analysis supported models associated with tension reduction and self-focused attention expectancies as significant contributors to increased urge to consume alcohol and lowered heart rate following hyperventilation. However, social-anxiety-related expectancies failed to demonstrate a relationship. These results suggest that additional work on the tension reduction model of alcohol use should examine physiological stressors in association with subject characteristics such as proneness to experience panic symptoms.