Mechanisms of exposure and response prevention in obsessive-compulsive disorder: effects of habituation and expectancy violation on short-term outcome in cognitive behavioral therapy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Exposure and response prevention is effective and recommended as the first choice for treating obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD). Its mechanisms of action are rarely studied, but two major theories make distinct assumptions: while the emotional processing theory assumes that treatment effects are associated with habituation within and between exposure sessions, the inhibitory learning approach highlights the acquisition of additional associations, implying alternative mechanisms like expectancy violation. The present study aimed to investigate whether process variables derived from both theories predict short-term outcome.

Method

In a university outpatient unit, 110 patients (63 female) with OCD received manual-based cognitive-behavioral therapy with high stand

SUBMITTER: Elsner B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8793233 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature