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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Culturally adapted versus standard exposure treatment for phobic Asian Americans: Treatment efficacy, moderators, and
David Pan1, Stanley J Huey, Dominica Hernandez
1Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, SGM 501, 3620 S. McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061, USA. davidpan@usc.edu or hueyjr@usc.edu
Abstract:
This study is a 6-month follow-up of a randomized pilot evaluation of standard one-session treatment (OST-S) versus culturally adapted OST (OST-CA) with phobic Asian Americans. OST-CA included seven cultural adaptations drawn from prior research with East Asians and Asian Americans. Results from 1-week and 6-month follow-up show that both OST-S and OST-CA were effective at reducing phobic symptoms compared with self-help control. Moreover, OST-CA was superior to OST-S for several outcomes. For catastrophic thinking and general fear, moderator analyses indicated that low-acculturation Asian Americans benefitted more from OST-CA than OST-S, whereas both treatments were equally effective for high-acculturation participants. Although cultural process factors (e.g., facilitating emotional control, exploiting the vertical therapist-client relationship) and working alliance were predictive of positive outcomes, they did not mediate treatment effects. This study offers a potential model for evaluating cultural adaptation effects, as well as the mechanisms that account for such effects.
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