The process of change during three interventions for claustrophobia

The purpose of this study was to investigate the process of change during three interventions for claustrophobia, and to provide descriptive data about this fear. Forty-eight participants, recruited from the community through the local media, were randomly assigned to one of four groups: exposure to the locked test closet used for assessment, exposure to the sensations of anxiety (interoceptive exposure), modification of underlying negative cognitions, or a control group. All interventions were given over three sessions. The exposure group proved superior to the control on a wide range of measures. In the cognitive group, scores of reported fear and panic, but not predictions of fear or heart rate, were lowered, an important finding since this group had no exposure to the closet during training. The interoceptive group made some modest gains, but these did not translate into reduction in fear scores. An analysis of the timing of fear reduction, and of treatment generalization, provided some clues as to the mechanism of change. Structured interviews provided data on aspects of the fear including its onset, patterns of current avoidance, and common salient cognitions. The results are discussed in the light of recent findings on panic disorder.Arts, Faculty ofPsychology, Department ofGraduat