Journal
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW
Volume 49, Issue -, Pages 1-15Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2016.07.002
Keywords
Exposure therapy; Safety behaviors; Inhibitory learning
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In the context of clinical anxiety, safety behaviors are actions performed to prevent, escape, or minimize feared catastrophes and/or associated distress. Research consistently implicates safety behaviors in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders; accordingly, safety behaviors are traditionally eliminated during exposure treatments for pathological anxiety. The notion that safety behaviors are ubiquitously deleterious in the context of exposure has recently been challenged, yet findings regarding safety behaviors' effects on exposure outcomes are limited, mixed, and controversial. Furthermore, developments in explanatory models for exposure's effectiveness (e.g., inhibitory learning theory) highlight other possible consequences of safety behaviors performed during exposure. Unfortunately, these theoretical advances are neglected in experimental research. The present review critically examines the literature addressing the role of safety behaviors in exposure therapy from an inhibitory learning perspective. Limitations, future directions, and clinical recommendations are also discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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