title: Cognitive Coping as a Mechanism of Change in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Fear of Flying: A Longitudinal Study With 3-Year Follow-Up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the predictive value of cognitive coping strategies at pretreatment and the value of changes in these strategies during cognitive-behavioral treatment for aviophobia for long-term therapy results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from baseline, after therapy at 2 months, short-term follow-up at 5 months, and long-term follow-up at 41 months were analyzed (N = 59).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants were in a long-term process of change, which continued positively after therapy for maladaptive cognitive coping strategies. The use of cognitive coping strategies at baseline was not predictive of long-term outcome. However, a greater increase in the use of adaptive coping strategies, and more importantly, a greater decrease in the use of maladaptive coping strategies were predictive of improvements indicated in self-report of flight anxiety and actual flight behavior at long-term follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Improvement of maladaptive cognitive coping strategies is possibly a key mechanism of change in cognitive-behavioral therapy for aviophobia.
authors.affiliation: VALK Foundation.|Leiden University.
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Busscher
authors.affiliation: Leiden University.|Leiden University Medical Center.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spinhoven
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000401:Aircraft; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: CBT; anxiety; aviophobia; emotion regulation; mechanism of change