2020 Volume 35 Issue 1 Pages 52-60
Study objective: To evaluate the effects of an intervention involving exposure and response prevention (ERP) that was used with an elderly woman who had a fear of harming others by passing germs on to them. Behavioral measures were used to manage the frequency of behavior that was related to her shopping. Design: Multiple baseline design across behaviors. Setting: A counseling room at a mental health clinic and nearby stores. Participant: A 72-year-old woman who was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Intervention: The client participated in 21 sixty-minute counseling sessions, 1 session every 2 weeks. The total duration of her participation was 309 days. During the sessions, the client went to a convenience store and a drug store with the author, and was encouraged to touch the products. After that, she was encouraged to walk by cars that were parked on the street. Measures: Frequency of going into stores such as supermarkets, number of goods purchased, number of newspaper pages read, frequency of going to stores by herself, and frequency of making confirmatory phone calls. Results: The frequency of going into stores, number of goods purchased, number of newspaper pages read, and frequency of going to stores by herself increased. The frequency of making confirmatory phone calls decreased. Conclusion: The intervention appeared to be effective for increasing the positive behavioral repertoire of the client.
