Concentrated ERP Delivered in a Group Setting: A Replication Study

In a previous effectiveness study (Havnen et al., 2014), 35 obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients underwent Concentrated Exposure Treatment (cET), which is a newly developed group treatment format delivered over four consecutive days.

The primary aims of the present study were to evaluate the treatment results for a new sample of OCD patients receiving the cET treatment approach and to replicate the effectiveness study described in Havnen et al. (2014).

Forty-two OCD patients underwent cET treatment. Treatment was delivered by different therapists than in Havnen et al. (2014), except for two groups led by the developers of the treatment. Assessments of OCD symptom severity, treatment satisfaction, and occupational impairment were included.

The results showed a significant reduction in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale scores from pre-treatment to post-treatment, which was maintained at 6-month follow-up. At post-treatment, 74% of the sample was remitted; at 6-month follow-up, 60% were recovered. The sample showed a very high degree of overall treatment satisfaction. The results from the present study were statistically compared with those obtained in the previous study. The analyses showed that the study samples had comparable demographic data and equal application of treatment. The outcome of the present and original study did not differ significantly on primary and secondary outcome measures.

This study shows that cET was successfully replicated in a new patient sample treated by different therapists than the original study. The results indicate that cET is well accepted by the patients, and the potential for dissemination is discussed.