Individual response patterns and the effects of different behavioral methods in the treatment of agoraphobia

The importance of individual response patterns in agoraphobic patients was examined in the present study. Forty psychiatric outpatients with agoraphobia were assessed in individually relevant natural phobic situations. During this behavioral test their heart rates were measured continuously, and sel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behaviour research and therapy 1984, Vol.22 (6), p.697-707
Main Authors: Öst, Lars-Göran, Jerremalm, Anita, Jansson, Lars
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Agoraphobia - physiopathology
Agoraphobia - therapy
Behavior Therapy - methods
Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Heart Rate
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Phobic Disorders - therapy
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Relaxation Therapy
Treatments
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Summary:The importance of individual response patterns in agoraphobic patients was examined in the present study. Forty psychiatric outpatients with agoraphobia were assessed in individually relevant natural phobic situations. During this behavioral test their heart rates were measured continuously, and self-ratings of experienced anxiety were made at fixed intervals. On the basis of their reactions in the test situation, the patients were divided into two groups showing different response patterns—behavioral and physiological reactors. Within each group the patients were randomly assigned to one behaviorally-focused method (exposure in vivo, E) and one physiologically-focused method (applied relaxation, AR). The patients were treated individually for 12 sessions. Both treatments yielded significant improvements on most measures; 60% of the E group and 70% of the AR group patients were clinically improved after treatment. The between-group comparisons showed that both treatments did equally well both for behavioral and physiological reactors. Thus, the differential effects for these methods obtained in previous studies were not seen.
ISSN:0005-7967
1873-622X
DOI:10.1016/0005-7967(84)90133-5