Characteristics of chronically anxious patients who respond to EMG feedback training

Anxiety levels of 40 chronically anxious patients given 8 weekly sessions of EMG feedback training were evaluated over a 6-month period. All subjects succeeded in reducing their EMG scores during treatment. Improvement was partly maintained during follow-up, but only 25% of the subjects who completed the evaluation believed their anxiety levels had improved substantially. Responders did not differ from nonresponders on pre- or posttreatment EMG scores, but there was a consistently closer association between EMG score and anxiety level for responders. No difference was seen between the two groups on demographic variables or IQ, but responders had higher mean scores for extraversion on two scales and a lower mean score for depression on one scale. Although EMG feedback alone does not appear to be an effective treatment for all subjects with chronic anxiety, the technique can be of value in some patients.