Effects of Safety Behavior during Exposure Therapy for Undergraduate Students with Specific Phobia Symptoms

Abstract

The present study examined differences between therapeutic effects of safety behavior utilization before and after the peak of fear during exposure to a perceived threat. Undergraduate students (N＝30) with a fear of cockroaches were assigned to one of three conditions: (a) exposure only, (b) safety behavior utilization before the peak of fear resulting from exposure, and (c) safety behavior utilization after the peak of fear. A series of 3 (condition)×3 (measurement period: pre-treatment, post-treatment, one-month follow-up) mixed ANOVAs for scores on measures of fear of cockroaches revealed a significant main effect of time for all measures, indicating improvement at post-treatment and follow-up for all conditions. Based on the change in scores of fear during exposure in each condition, the therapeutic effects of safety behavior utilization before and after the peak of fear were discussed.