Reduction in Looming Cognitive Style in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Effect on Post-treatment Symptoms Across Anxiety Disorders and Within Generalized Anxiety Disorder

The looming vulnerability model proposes that individual differences in anxiety are related to variations in the tendencies to generate anticipatory mental simulations in which threats are intensifying or fast approaching. Research has demonstrated that a looming cognitive style is found across anxiety disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine how CBT impacts looming appraisals and to examine how changes in looming appraisals predict general changes in anxiety across many disorders and changes in a specific disorder (GAD). Participants from a heterogeneous anxiety disorder sample (N = 66) completed measures of looming and anxiety symptoms before and after standard group CBT. A subset of participants with GAD (n = 23) also completed a measure of worry at baseline and post-treatment. Results indicated that CBT leads to significant reductions in dysfunctional looming appraisals, and these reductions predict post-treatment anxiety symptom ratings in an anxiety sample and post-treatment worry symptoms within a specific disorder.