Hilleke, Marina ORCID: 0000-0002-3557-2768, Lang, Thomas ORCID: 0000-0002-7016-4946, Helbig-Lang, Sylvia, Alpers, Georg W. ORCID: 0000-0001-9896-5158, Arolt, Volker ORCID: 0000-0002-2445-9778, Deckert, Jürgen ORCID: 0000-0003-1008-4650, Fydrich, Thomas ORCID: 0000-0003-0122-2302, Hamm, Alfons O. ORCID: 0000-0002-3352-6231, Kircher, Tilo ORCID: 0000-0002-2514-2625, Richter, Jan ORCID: 0000-0002-7127-6990, Ströhle, Andreas ORCID: 0000-0003-0935-3702, Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich ORCID: 0000-0002-6311-7711, Gerlach, Alexander L. ORCID: 0000-0001-6794-5349 and Arafat, S. M. Yasir (2025). How Do Patients’ Fear Prediction and Fear Experience Impact Exposure‐Based Therapy for Panic Disorder With Agoraphobia? A Comprehensive Analysis of Fear Prediction. Depression and Anxiety, 2025 (1). pp. 1-14. Wiley. ISSN 1091-4269

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Identification Number:10.1155/DA/6963860

Abstract

[Artikel-Nr.: 963860] Expectancy violation has been proposed as a potential core mechanism of action in psychotherapy, particularly in exposure therapy for anxiety disorders. However, various relevant expectations have been discussed, and empirical studies examining their significance are still scarce. This study aimed to investigate one specific form of expectancy violation, based on Rachman’s (1994) match‐mismatch model, specifically by comparing expected and experienced fear and examining their relationship to safety behaviour during exposure in vivo in 268 patients meeting DSM‐IV criteria for panic disorder with agoraphobia. Participants underwent exposure to a highly controlled manual‐based cognitive behaviour therapy in a randomised multicenter psychotherapy study. Participants tended to overpredict fear during exposure. Both expected and experienced fear significantly decreased over the course of repeated exposure exercises, while prediction (in)accuracy (difference between expected and experienced fear) remained stable. The decrease in expected fear over time was a strong predictor of treatment outcomes for the Bodily Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ) and Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS) at post. Even more, the reduction in expected fear was a significant predictor of treatment success across all outcome measures in the follow‐up assessment. These findings suggest that violating excessive fear expectancies is not a necessary condition for symptom reduction during exposure therapy.

Item Type: Article
Creators:
Creators
Email
ORCID
ORCID Put Code
Hilleke, Marina
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Lang, Thomas
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Helbig-Lang, Sylvia
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Alpers, Georg W.
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Arolt, Volker
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Deckert, Jürgen
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Fydrich, Thomas
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Hamm, Alfons O.
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Kircher, Tilo
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Richter, Jan
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Ströhle, Andreas
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Gerlach, Alexander L.
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
Arafat, S. M. Yasir
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
URN: urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-802291
Identification Number: 10.1155/DA/6963860
Journal or Publication Title: Depression and Anxiety
Volume: 2025
Number: 1
Page Range: pp. 1-14
Number of Pages: 14
Date: 19 June 2025
Publisher: Wiley
ISSN: 1091-4269
Language: English
Faculty: Faculty of Medicine
Divisions: Faculty of Medicine > Medizinische Psychologie > Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie
Subjects: Psychology
Medical sciences Medicine
['eprint_fieldname_oa_funders' not defined]: Publikationsfonds UzK
Refereed: Yes
URI: http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/80229

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