The cognitive treatment of agoraphobia

Jackman, Susan N. (1982) The cognitive treatment of agoraphobia. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The present study assessed the efficacy of cognitive therapy in treating agoraphobics. Subjects were nine community residents who responded to newspaper advertisements announcing a treatment program for agoraphobia, and who met specified screening criteria. They were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups, which differed only in the length of time subjects waited for treatment. -- Subjects completed the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist (Zuckerman and Lubin, 1965) daily, and rated peak anxiety levels on a 0-10 point scale at 3-hour intervals throughout the day. Subjects also kept diaries of time away from home. All daily measures were kept through a baseline phase of 3, 6, or 9 weeks, a 6-week treatment phase, and a 3-week follow-up phase. Assessments were also made at pre- and posttreatment, and at follow-ups of 3 weeks and 2 months. They were carried out by the therapist (Watson and Marks’, 1971, phobic anxiety and avoidance scales), by an independent assessor (Watson and Marks', 1971, phobic anxiety and avoidance scales), and by the subjects (Watson and Marks’, 1971, phobic anxiety and avoidance scales; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Spielberger and Lushene, 1970). -- All measures of anxiety showed significant reductions following treatment, and improvement was maintained into the follow-up period. Time out of the house, analyzed in terms of the hours away from home and the number of journeys made increased significantly, and ratings of phobic avoidance showed a significant reduction. -- It was concluded that cognitive therapy is effective in the treatment of some agoraphobics, and that this finding does not support the hypothesis that systematic practice in entering feared situations is essential for the treatment of agoraphobia.

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