ERIC Number: EJ932321
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Dec
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-006X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Catastrophic Misinterpretations as a Predictor of Symptom Change during Treatment for Panic Disorder
Teachman, Bethany A.; Marker, Craig D.; Clerkin, Elise M.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, v78 n6 p964-973 Dec 2010
Objective: Cognitive models of panic disorder suggest that change in catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily sensations will predict symptom reduction. To examine change processes, we used a repeated measures design to evaluate whether the trajectory of change in misinterpretations over the course of 12-week cognitive behavior therapy is related to the trajectory of change in a variety of panic-relevant outcomes. Method: Participants had a primary diagnosis of panic disorder (N = 43; 70% female; mean age = 40.14 years). Race or ethnicity was reported as 91% Caucasian, 5% African American, 2.3% biracial, and 2.3% "other." Change in catastrophic misinterpretations (assessed with the Brief Body Sensations Interpretation Questionnaire; Clark et al., 1997) was used to predict a variety of treatment outcomes, including overall panic symptom severity (assessed with the Panic Disorder Severity Scale [PDSS]; Shear et al., 1997), panic attack frequency (assessed with the relevant PDSS item), panic-related distress/apprehension (assessed by a latent factor, including peak anxiety in response to a panic-relevant stressor--a straw breathing task), and avoidance (assessed by a latent factor, which included the Fear Questionnaire-Agoraphobic Avoidance subscale; Marks & Mathews, 1979). Results: Bivariate latent difference score modeling indicated that, as expected, change in catastrophic misinterpretations predicted subsequent reductions in overall symptom severity, panic attack frequency, distress/apprehension, and avoidance behavior. However, change in the various symptom domains was not typically a significant predictor of later interpretation change (except for the distress/apprehension factor). Conclusions: These results provide considerable support for the cognitive model of panic and speak to the temporal sequence of change processes during therapy. (Contains 5 footnotes, 1 table and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Anxiety Disorders, Counseling Techniques, Professional Development Schools, Behavior Modification, Measures (Individuals), Severity (of Disability), Therapy, Prediction, Physiology, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Cognitive Restructuring, Clinical Diagnosis, Questionnaires, Stress Variables, Predictor Variables, Outcomes of Treatment
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
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