Effects of safety behaviors on fear reduction during exposure.
The use of safety behaviors has been considered one of the primary maintaining mechanisms of anxiety disorders; however, evidence suggests that they are not always detrimental to treatment success (Milosevic & Radomsky, 2008). This study examined the effects of safety behaviors on behavioral, cognitive, and subjective indicators of fear during exposure for fear of spiders. A two-stage design was used to examine fear reduction and approach distance during an in vivo exposure task for participants (N=43) assigned to either a safety behavior use (SBU) or no safety behavior use (NSB) condition. Overall, both groups reported significant and comparable reductions in self-reported anxiety and negative beliefs about spiders at posttest and 1-week follow-up. Participants in the SBU group approached the spider more quickly than did participants in the NSB condition; however, participants in the SBU condition showed a small but significant decrease in approach distance at follow-up. These results call for a reconceptualization of the impact of safety behaviors on in vivo exposure.
Hood
Heather K
HK
Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada.
Antony
Martin M
MM
Koerner
Naomi
N
Monson
Candice M
CM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007171:Implosive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D057566:Self Report