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Safety behaviour enhances the acceptability of exposure
Hannah C Levy1, Adam S Radomsky
1a Department of Psychology , Concordia University , Montreal QC Canada.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
|December 5, 2013
Summary
Adding safety behaviors to exposure therapy significantly improves its acceptability for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms like contamination fears, potentially reducing treatment dropout rates.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Anxiety Disorders
Background:
- Compulsive washing and contamination fears are hallmark symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is an effective OCD treatment but suffers from high dropout rates.
- Safety behaviors may enhance the acceptability of exposure-based interventions for OCD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of safety behaviors on the acceptability of exposure exercises for contamination fears.
- To compare the acceptability and effectiveness of exposure with safety behavior (ESB) versus traditional ERP.
Main Methods:
- Seventy undergraduate students participated in the study.
- Participants completed two contamination fear exposure exercises: one with safety behavior and one without.
- Acceptability, subjective fear, and behavioral approach were measured for both conditions.
Main Results:
- Exposure with safety behavior (ESB) was rated as significantly more acceptable than ERP.
- Subjective fear ratings were lower in the ESB condition.
- Participants demonstrated greater behavioral approach to contaminants in the ESB condition.
Conclusions:
- Safety behaviors can enhance the acceptability of exposure therapy for contamination fears.
- ESB may be a valuable modification to improve adherence to exposure-based treatments for anxiety disorders.
- Findings support the integration of safety behaviors to optimize evidence-based interventions for OCD.
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