The use of Exposure with Response Prevention in a sample of Italian psychotherapists
Simona Raimo, Valentina Battimiello, Dalila Biondi, Maria Ciccarelli, Tania Colardo, Dora Riemma, Loredana Schiano di Zenise, Andrea Gragnani, Adriana Scuotto, Teresa Cosentino
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is an evidence-supported intervention indicated by international guidelines for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders. Nevertheless, some studies show that it is still underutilized in clinical practice. The consulted literature inspired this pilot study, which aims to investigate the use of ERP among Italian cognitive psychotherapists. A specific questionnaire, adapted from the survey conducted by Sars et al. (2015) focused on ERP use, with the addition of specific items assessing the therapist’s personal variables, specifically anxiety and guilt sensitivity and self-efficacy, was administered to participants. Results showed that beliefs about the effectiveness of exposure techniques and positive attitudes about their use led respondents to use ERP more frequently, especially if they had few years of experience in clinical practice. In addition to specific beliefs on ERP, some personal characteristics of the therapist, such as perceived self-efficacy and guilt sensitivity, also appear to play a role in ERP use. The data are discussed in the light of current literature.
Keywords
Exposure and response prevention, Cognitive psychotherapy, Training, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Social anxiety disorder, Panic Disorder, Specific phobia.
