A spiderless arachnophobia therapy: comparison between placebo and treatment groups and six-month follow-up study.
We describe a new arachnophobia therapy that is specially suited for those individuals with severe arachnophobia who are reluctant to undergo direct or even virtual exposure treatments. In this therapy, patients attend a computer presentation of images that, while not being spiders, have a subset of the characteristics of spiders. The Atomium of Brussels is an example of such an image. The treatment group (n = 13) exhibited a significant improvement (time x group interaction: P = .0026) when compared to the placebo group (n = 12) in a repeated measures multivariate ANOVA. A k-means clustering algorithm revealed that, after 4 weeks of treatment, 42% of the patients moved from the arachnophobic to the nonarachnophobic cluster. Six months after concluding the treatment, a follow-up study showed a substantial consolidation of the recovery process where 92% of the arachnophobic patients moved to the nonarachnophobic cluster.
Granado
Laura Carmilo
LC
Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, 1721 Avenue of Professor Mello Moraes, 05508-030 São Paulo, Brazil.
Ranvaud
Ronald
R
Peláez
Javier Ropero
JR
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D010919:Placebos; D013112:Spiders
D010919:Placebos
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