Sarah M Ryan1, Marlene V Strege2, Ella L Oar3, Thomas H Ollendick2. 1. Child Study Center, Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States. Electronic address: sryan42@vt.edu. 2. Child Study Center, Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States. 3. Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Australia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: One-Session Treatment (OST) for specific phobias has been shown to be effective in reducing phobia severity; however, the effect of different types of co-occurring anxiety disorders on OST outcomes is unknown. The present study examined (1) the effects of co-occurring generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), or another non-targeted specific phobia (OSP) on the efficacy of OST for specific phobias, and (2) the effects of OST on these co-occurring disorders following treatment. METHODS: Three groups of 18 youth (7-15 years) with a specific phobia and comorbid GAD, SAD, or OSP were matched on age, gender, and phobia type. Outcome measures included diagnostic status and severity, and clinician rated improvement. RESULTS: All groups demonstrated an improvement in their specific phobia following treatment. Treatment was equally effective regardless of co-occurring anxiety disorder. In addition, comorbid anxiety disorders improved following OST; however, this effect was not equal across groups. The SAD group showed poorer improvement in their comorbid disorder than the GAD group post-treatment. However, the SAD group continued to improve and this differential effect was not evident six-months following treatment. LIMITATIONS: The current study sample was small, with insufficient power to detect small and medium effect sizes. Further, the sample only included a portion of individuals with primary GAD or SAD, which may have attenuated the findings. CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated that co-occurring anxiety disorders did not interfere with phobia treatment. OST, despite targeting a single specific phobia type, significantly reduced comorbid symptomatology across multiple anxiety disorders.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: One-Session Treatment (OST) for specific phobias has been shown to be effective in reducing phobia severity; however, the effect of different types of co-occurring anxiety disorders on OST outcomes is unknown. The present study examined (1) the effects of co-occurring generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), or another non-targeted specific phobia (OSP) on the efficacy of OST for specific phobias, and (2) the effects of OST on these co-occurring disorders following treatment. METHODS: Three groups of 18 youth (7-15 years) with a specific phobia and comorbid GAD, SAD, or OSP were matched on age, gender, and phobia type. Outcome measures included diagnostic status and severity, and clinician rated improvement. RESULTS: All groups demonstrated an improvement in their specific phobia following treatment. Treatment was equally effective regardless of co-occurring anxiety disorder. In addition, comorbid anxiety disorders improved following OST; however, this effect was not equal across groups. The SAD group showed poorer improvement in their comorbid disorder than the GAD group post-treatment. However, the SAD group continued to improve and this differential effect was not evident six-months following treatment. LIMITATIONS: The current study sample was small, with insufficient power to detect small and medium effect sizes. Further, the sample only included a portion of individuals with primary GAD or SAD, which may have attenuated the findings. CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated that co-occurring anxiety disorders did not interfere with phobia treatment. OST, despite targeting a single specific phobia type, significantly reduced comorbid symptomatology across multiple anxiety disorders.
Authors: Barry D Wright; Cindy Cooper; Alexander J Scott; Lucy Tindall; Shehzad Ali; Penny Bee; Katie Biggs; Trilby Breckman; Thompson E Davis Iii; Lina Gega; Rebecca Julie Hargate; Ellen Lee; Karina Lovell; David Marshall; Dean McMillan; M Dawn Teare; Jonathan Wilson Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2018-08-17 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Ymkje Anna de Vries; Ali Al-Hamzawi; Jordi Alonso; Guilherme Borges; Ronny Bruffaerts; Brendan Bunting; José Miguel Caldas-de-Almeida; Alfredo H Cia; Giovanni De Girolamo; Rumyana V Dinolova; Oluyomi Esan; Silvia Florescu; Oye Gureje; Josep Maria Haro; Chiyi Hu; Elie G Karam; Aimee Karam; Norito Kawakami; Andrzej Kiejna; Viviane Kovess-Masfety; Sing Lee; Zeina Mneimneh; Fernando Navarro-Mateu; Marina Piazza; Kate Scott; Margreet Ten Have; Yolanda Torres; Maria Carmen Viana; Ronald C Kessler; Peter de Jonge Journal: BMC Med Date: 2019-05-24 Impact factor: 8.775