Effect of different variables on the outcome of various cognitive-behavioral treatment modalities for panic disorder with agoraphobia

The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is clearly demonstrated in the treatment of panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA). Between 70 % and 90 % of people with PDA obtain an higher global functioning level after CBT, yet symptoms remain in 10 to 30 % of participants after treatment termination. The goal of the present study is to find which variables have an effect on different CBT modalities (individual, group, self-help) for persons with moderate and high PDA. Eighty-four persons were randomly assigned to one of three treatment modalities. Evaluations were made before treatment, immediately after and one year later. Results show that sex, number of years with agoraphobia and anxiety level significantly predict outcome at post-test for the individual modality. However, only the number of years with agoraphobia is a strong predictor one year later for this treatment modality. For the self-help modality, no predictor is significant neither at post-test nor one year later. For the group modality, the agoraphobic avoidance predicts outcome at post-test whereas symptoms severity predicts outcome one year later.