Imagery-based treatment for test anxiety: A multiple-baseline open trial

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Anxiety Disorders

Background:

• Test anxiety (TA) affects many students, causing distress and impairing academic performance.
• Effective and brief interventions for TA are limited.
• Imagery, an emotion-focused technique, is explored as a novel approach for TA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a six-session protocol integrating cognitive behavioral techniques and imagery for treating test anxiety.
• To assess client acceptance of the intervention.
• To explore the relationship between imagery quality and session efficacy.

Main Methods:

• A two-site concurrent multiple-baseline pilot study with 31 students.
• A six-session protocol combining cognitive behavioral techniques and imagery work.
• Assessment of test anxiety levels at recruitment, pre-intervention, and delayed follow-up.

Main Results:

• The protocol was well-accepted by participants.
• Significant reductions in test anxiety were observed from baseline to delayed follow-up (Cohen's d = 0.75 and 0.84).
• Session-level processes indicated a link between imagery quality and session effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Integrating imagery with cognitive behavioral techniques shows preliminary promise for treating test anxiety.
• The intervention appears effective in reducing student test anxiety.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is warranted to confirm these findings.