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Symbolic online exposure for spider fear: Habituation of fear, disgust and physiological arousal and predictors of symptom improvement
Citation
Matthews, A and Naran, N and Kirkby, KC, Symbolic online exposure for spider fear: Habituation of fear, disgust and physiological arousal and predictors of symptom improvement, Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 47 pp. 129-37. ISSN 0005-7916 (2015) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2015 Elsevier
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2014.12.003
Abstract
Background and objectives: This research compared the effects of real versus hyper-real images on anxiety, disgust, and physiological arousal during internet-delivered exposure in high spider-fearfuls. Hyper-real images were digitally altered to highlight fearful aspects. A further aim was to examine self-reported and behavioural therapeutic outcomes and exposure-related predictors of these outcomes.
Methods: Twenty-eight females were randomised to real (n = 14) or hyper-real (n = 14) treatment groups and nine participants were subsequently allocated to a wait-list control group. Treatment groups viewed an 8-stage exposure hierarchy of real or hyper-real spider images. Subjective anxiety and disgust ratings were taken during each stage (0, 60, 120, 180 s) with heart rate and skin conductance recorded throughout.
Results: Anxiety, disgust and physiological arousal habituated within each exposure stage, with no differential effect of real compared to hyper-real images. Both treatment groups but not controls demonstrated significant reductions in behavioural avoidance and self-reported phobic symptoms from pre-treatment to post-treatment with large effect sizes noted. The change in within-stage habituation of anxiety, disgust and heart rate, between the first and last stage, predicted improvement in behavioural avoidance at post-treatment. This suggests that generalisation of habituation to multiple images is an important predictor of improvement.
Limitations: While findings in relation to therapeutic outcome should be considered preliminary, clear relationships were found between exposure-related variables and outcome among those who undertook treatment.
Conclusions: Findings provide evidence in support of the efficacy of online image-based exposure and have implications for informing further research into the underlying mechanisms of image-based exposure treatment.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | spider phobia, online exposure, habituation, heart rate, skin conductance, emotional processing theory |
Research Division: | Psychology |
Research Group: | Clinical and health psychology |
Research Field: | Health psychology |
Objective Division: | Health |
Objective Group: | Public health (excl. specific population health) |
Objective Field: | Mental health |
UTAS Author: | Matthews, A (Dr Allison Matthews) |
UTAS Author: | Naran, N (Miss Nishma Naran) |
UTAS Author: | Kirkby, KC (Professor Kenneth Kirkby) |
ID Code: | 98556 |
Year Published: | 2015 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 11 |
Deposited By: | Psychology |
Deposited On: | 2015-02-19 |
Last Modified: | 2017-11-06 |
Downloads: | 449 View Download Statistics |
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