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Behavior therapy and the anxiety disorders: some conceptual and methodological issues.
Psychiatric Developments
|January 1, 1985
Summary
Behavior therapy shows promise for anxiety disorders, but research needs better measurement tools and detailed treatment reporting. Improving study design is key to understanding treatment effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Behavior therapy is a promising treatment for anxiety disorders.
- Methodological and conceptual issues in treatment outcome studies need addressing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present methodological and conceptual issues in behavior therapy outcome studies for anxiety disorders.
- To highlight areas for improvement in research design and reporting.
Main Methods:
- Discussion of measurement of anxiety across verbal, physiological, and motoric-behavioral systems.
- Analysis of the adequacy of current assessment methods' reliability and validity.
- Review of the level of detail in reporting behavioral treatment procedures.
Main Results:
- Many popular methods for assessing anxiety have unknown or poor reliability and validity.
- Behavioral treatment procedures are often not reported with sufficient detail for replication.
- Adherence and proficiency in treatment skills are crucial but often unassessed variables.
Conclusions:
- Behavior therapy holds promise for anxiety disorders.
- Improving research methodology, including detailed reporting and robust assessment, is essential.
- The use of placebo control groups is important for identifying specific treatment factors.