Predictors of the application of exposure in vivo in the treatment of agoraphobia in an outpatient clinic: An exploratory approach.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Although exposure in vivo is considered to be the most effective therapy component in the treatment of agoraphobia (AG), there is a remarkable lack of its application in psychotherapeutic routine care. We examined the severity of anxiety, psychological distress/comorbidity, therapeutic process/alliance, and sociodemographic status as potential predictors of in vivo exposure. METHOD: We applied correlational analyses and logistic regression analyses in a sample of N = 92 patients (main diagnosis AG) in an outpatient setting. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses did not yield any significant single predictors, whereas a combination of a subset of predictors significantly predicted the application of exposure in vivo in the completer sample (R2 = .24, p = .041). CONCLUSION: The application of in vivo exposure may be predicted by a complex pattern of patient characteristics.