Expectancy, Homework Compliance, and Initial Change in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety

• Published in: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology Vol. 75; no. 3; pp. 363 - 373
• Main Authors: Westra, Henny A, Dozois, David J. A, Marcus, Madalyn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Psychological Association 01-06-2007
• Subjects: Achievement; Adult; Anxiety; Anxiety - diagnosis; Anxiety - psychology; Anxiety - therapy; Anxiety Disorders; Attitude; Behavior Modification; Clinical outcomes; Clinical psychology; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive Behavior Therapy; Cognitive behaviour therapy; Cognitive change; Cognitive Restructuring; Cognitive therapy; Cognitive Therapy - methods; Compliance; Demography; Expectations; Fear; Female; Group therapy; Homework; Human; Humans; Male; Outcomes of Treatment; Surveys and Questionnaires; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Therapy; Treatment Compliance; Workload; anxiety; expectancy; change mechanisms; CBT outcomes; homework
• ISSN: 0022-006X; 1939-2117
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.75.3.363

Belief in one's ability to change is an important cognitive variable related to treatment gains. This study investigated pretreatment expectancy for anxiety change and early homework compliance in relation to initial and total cognitive change in group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety. Participants, who met diagnostic criteria for at least 1 anxiety disorder, completed 10 sessions of group CBT. Early homework compliance mediated the relationship between expectancy for anxiety change at baseline and initial change in CBT. In addition, initial cognitive symptom improvement mediated the relationship between homework compliance and posttreatment outcome. These results suggest that expectancy for change is an important cognitive variable that may provide the initial impetus and subsequent momentum for therapeutic involvement and gains.