Relationship between agoraphobia and field dependence

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Agoraphobia is increasingly viewed as etiologically distinct from other phobic disorders.
• Central to this distinction are conflicts related to separation and individuation (self-other differentiation).

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide quantitative evidence for the clinical observation that agoraphobia is etiologically distinct.
• To investigate the relationship between agoraphobia and field dependence as a measure of self-other differentiation.

Main Methods:

• 166 outpatients were divided into three groups: agoraphobia, simple phobias, and mixed phobias.
• The Group Embedded Figures Test was administered to measure field dependence.
• One-way analysis of variance was used to compare field dependence across groups, separately for males and females.

Main Results:

• A significant difference in field dependence was found for females (p < .05).
• Female agoraphobic patients exhibited greater field dependence than female simple phobic patients.
• No significant differences in field dependence were observed among male phobic groups.

Conclusions:

• Findings support the view of agoraphobia as distinct, particularly in females.
• Field dependence may reflect differences in self-other differentiation in female agoraphobia.
• Further research is needed to explore gender differences in the etiology of phobic disorders.