Clinical Psychology Commons^™

The Effects Of Preventative And Restorative Safety Behaviors On Contamination Fear, Amy Rachel Goetz

Theses and Dissertations

Recent research suggests that safety behaviors may not preclude cognitive change or treatment gains in exposure-based therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, it is relatively unknown what categories of specific behaviors may be detrimental to the therapeutic process. Some researchers argue that classifying safety behaviors based on their function may be the best solution. The current study sought to examine the extent to which different safety behaviors enhanced or weakened treatment outcomes for contamination fear and washing symptoms. Fifty-one non-clinical students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) exposure with no safety behaviors (NSB), (2) exposure with preventative …