Group exposure for agoraphobics: a replication study

A replication study was conducted of the treatment of agoraphobics by exposure in cohesive groups, as described by Hand, Lamantagne and Marks (1974). The continuing improvement during follow-up, with consequent large overall improvement, reported in the original study was not replicated. However, the present study confirmed the usefulness of this procedure as a highly cost-efficient treatment. The assumed equivalence of the Gelder and Marks (1966) phobic rating scale and its modification by Watson and Marks (1971) was examined. Large discrepancies between the scales were obtained for initial assessments and change scores. It is suggested that there is a need for workers in this field to agree on methods of measurement.