Online Exposure for Spider Phobia: Continuous Versus Intermittent Exposure

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison J. Matthews ◽  
Zee H. Wong ◽  
Joel D. Scanlan ◽  
Ken C. Kirkby
Keyword(s):  
Post Treatment ◽  
Spider Phobia ◽  
Continuous Exposure ◽  
Exposure Treatment ◽  
Spider Fear ◽  
Treatment Assessment ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Intermittent Exposure ◽  
Distress Scale

AbstractBackground: The aim of this research was to evaluate an online exposure treatment for spider phobia (www.feardrop.com) and to investigate the effects of intermittent versus continuous exposure.Methods: Spider phobic participants (N = 23) completed two 14-minute stages of laboratory-based online exposure. In the first of these stages exposure was either continuous or intermittent (alternating fearrelevant and -irrelevant images). One week later, participants commenced a sixstage home-based graded online exposure task, which was undertaken over 30 days. Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) ratings were taken throughout all exposure stages. Spider fear was assessed prior to treatment, and at 1-week and 1-month post treatment.Results: Habituation was observed across each stage for both the laboratory and home-based tasks and generalisation of habituation was found between stages. Habituation was not impaired in the alternating fear-relevant and -irrelevant image condition, though subjects experienced less summed anxiety. Adherence rates were low in home-based online exposure. However, participants who completed 30-days post-treatment assessment (n = 14) showed a significant reduction in spider fear as measured by the Fear of Spiders Questionnaire (FSQ).Conclusions: Online exposure produces habituation and generalisation of habituation to spider images as well as longer-term reductions in spider fear. Alternating fear-relevant and -irrelevant exposure is feasible in online exposure and may lead to habituation with less summed anxiety that has implications for tolerability and acceptability. Measures to increase adherence rates and hence dosage delivered are a key consideration for further online exposure research.

Online Exposure for Spider Fear: Treatment Completion and Habituation Outcomes

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 199-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison J. Matthews ◽  
Joel D. Scanlan ◽  
Ken C. Kirkby
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Completion ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Anticipatory Anxiety ◽  
Exposure Treatment ◽  
Spider Fear ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Total Exposure Time ◽  
Stage 1 ◽  
Distress Scale

AbstractThis research aimed to investigate habituation to spider images during an online exposure treatment (www.feardrop.com) among participants with a high fear of spiders. Participants (N= 392) undertook a 10-stage online exposure treatment with a stage length of either 180 or 360 seconds. Four Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) ratings were taken throughout each stage. Treatment completion was found to be a significant challenge, with less than one-third (30%) completing at least one stage of the program. Those in the shorter stage length condition were significantly more likely to complete the first stage relative to those in the longer stage length condition (43% vs. 16%). SUDS ratings decreased significantly across time at Stage 1, suggesting habituation of self-reported anxiety and there was an overall reduction in SUDS ratings at the second relative to the first stage, suggesting generalisation of habituation. The greatest habituation was observed among those with high anticipatory anxiety (pre-exposure SUDS rating), high total exposure time, and younger age. There was preliminary evidence for improvement in symptoms of spider fear at post-treatment. Directions for future research include strategies to facilitate treatment completion, evaluation of treatment outcomes, and expansion to include a range of specific fears.

scholarly journals The effectiveness of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment therapy issued interactively through an iPad device: A non-inferiority study

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murray Griffin ◽  
John Bentley ◽  
Joseph Shanks ◽  
Carly Wood
Keyword(s):  
Motor Task ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Lee Silverman Voice Treatment ◽  
Treatment Assessment ◽  
Voice Treatment ◽  
Apple Ipad ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Pre Treatment

Introduction This study compared the differences in recorded speech variables between people treated with conventional ‘in person’ Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) and those treated remotely via iPad-based ‘Facetime’. Method Eight participants were selected for the iPad LSVT, and 21 similarly matched subjects were selected from existing data to form the ‘in person’ group. Participants in both groups had diagnosed idiopathic Parkinson’s disease and moderate hypokinetic dysarthria. Eighteen sessions of prescribed LSVT comprising a pre-treatment assessment, 16 treatment sessions, and a six months’ post-treatment assessment were administered for each person. In both groups, pre- and post-treatment assessments were conducted face-to-face. Performance measures were recorded during assessment and treatment. Average measures were determined for all tasks at all time points and a summary outcome variable was composed from across-task performance. Results Non-inferiority testing confirmed that iPad LSVT was non-inferior in treating all LSVT task 3 variables except generating words, with the 90% upper confidence intervals (CI) lying between the non-inferiority margin of ± 2.25 and zero. The iPad was superior in treating the task 3 rainbow reading passage and describing motor task variables with upper and lower 90% CI values being negative. The improvement in the summary outcome variable score was also superior in the iPad group. Discussion Non-inferiority testing implies that the iPad LSVT is non-inferior in treating task three variables when compared to traditional LSVT. The study supports further development of remote delivery solutions involving the Apple iPad and ‘Facetime’ system as a means of improving access to services and the participant’s experience.

Intermittent Exposure to Noise: Effects on Hearing

1983 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 623-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Sataloff ◽  
Robert T. Sataloff ◽  
Raymond A. Yerg ◽  
Hyman Menduke ◽  
Robert P. Gore
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Continuous Exposure ◽  
Hearing Results ◽  
Noise Effects ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Severe Loss ◽  
Intermittent Exposure ◽  
Intense Noise ◽  
Continuous Noise

Most studies of the effects of noise upon hearing have dealt with continuous noise exposure. Previous reports on intermittent exposure to noise concluded that it causes less damage to hearing than does continuous exposure to noise of the same intensity. In this investigation, 12,000 workers were screened to find 295 subjects who met the strict criteria of the study. Most of the subjects were exposed to jackhammer noise at peak levels of 118 dBA. Intermittent exposure to intense noise results in very severe loss in high frequencies but relatively little or no hearing loss in the lower frequencies even after many years of exposure. This differs substantially from the effects of continuous exposure to noise of the same intensity. It remains to be determined whether this pattern of hearing results from intermittent exposure to all sorts of noise or only from the kinds of sources investigated in this study.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document