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Towards a Unified Worry Exposure Protocol for Generalised Anxiety Disorder: A Pilot Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 August 2013

Cameron McIntosh  and
Rocco Crino
Cameron McIntosh*
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Rocco Crino
Affiliation:
Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Cameron McIntosh, St Vincent's Hospital Gambling Treatment Program, 390 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia. Email: cmcintosh@stvincents.com.au
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Abstract

Background: Worry exposure is a cognitive–behaviour therapy (CBT) technique frequently used to treat GAD, yet there are only a few studies on its effectiveness. Aim: To compare two worry exposure protocols developed for GAD to make a preliminary determination about the most effective way in which to present the feared stimuli to participants. Method: Nine university students suffering from GAD were administered four 1-hour treatment sessions. Exposure was conducted by either directly imagining (DI) or via audio-recording/playback (AR) exposure to their feared event. General worry and intolerance of uncertainty (IOU) were the primary dependent variables. Results: All participants in the DI and half of the AR condition reported subclinical GAD at post-treatment, with results being maintained at 3-month follow-up and the treatment responders also reported decreased depression, anxiety and stress. Conclusions: The DI protocol was more effective than the AR methodology in this sample, and may be an appropriate standard for worry exposure research and clinical practice.

Keywords

GADworryexposureIOUtreatmentoutcome
Type
Standard Papers
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 30 , Issue 3 , September 2013 , pp. 210 - 225
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 

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