ABSTRACT

Interoceptive exposure, or exposure to one’s feared physical sensations, has been shown to be an important technique in cognitive behavioral therapies for anxiety disorders and related constructs, such as anxiety sensitivity (AS). The current study sought to further clarify the underlying cognitive-behavioral mechanisms of interoceptive exposure in a lab-based, analog study with individuals high in AS. Participants (n = 59) were randomized into three groups: a cognitive-behavioral intervention emphasizing belief disconfirmation (CbI), a behavioral intervention emphasizing exposure (BI), and a control condition. Self-report measures assessing AS, catastrophizing of bodily sensations, and subjective units of distress (SUDS) were collected before, during and after the intervention. Participants also completed online questionnaires at a one-month follow-up. Following the CbI but not BI, a decrease was observed in both AS and catastrophizing interpretations. Furthermore, only the CbI group exhibited a decrease in SUDS ratings, whereas the BI group exhibited a significant increase. Notably, these effects were not maintained at a one-month follow-up. Findings suggest that cognitive interventions without repeated behavioral exposure may be sufficient in reducing self-reported anxiety-related symptoms and catastrophic misinterpretations, though not at maintaining them. This raises questions regarding the role of pure behavioral mechanisms in exposure.

摘要

内感受性暴露，或暴露于一个人害怕的身体感觉，已被证明是焦虑症和相关结构（如焦虑敏感性 (AS)）的认知行为疗法中的一项重要技术。目前的研究试图在一项基于实验室的模拟研究中进一步阐明内感受暴露的潜在认知行为机制，该研究针对高 AS 个体。参加者（n = 59) 被随机分为三组：强调信念失实 (CbI) 的认知行为干预、强调暴露 (BI) 的行为干预和控制条件。在干预之前、期间和之后收集评估 AS、身体感觉灾难化和主观痛苦单位 (SUDS) 的自我报告措施。参与者还在一个月的随访中完成了在线问卷调查。在 CbI 而不是 BI 之后，观察到 AS 和灾难化解释都有所减少。此外，只有 CbI 组的 SUDS 评分有所下降，而 BI 组则显着增加。值得注意的是，这些影响并没有在一个月的随访中得到维持。研究结果表明，没有重复行为暴露的认知干预可能足以减少自我报告的焦虑相关症状和灾难性的误解，尽管不能维持它们。这引发了关于纯行为机制在暴露中的作用的问题。