Enhancing Agoraphobia Treatment Outcome by Changing Couple Communication Patterns

Twenty-four females meeting the DSM-III criteria for agoraphobia with panic attacks underwent partner-assisted exposure therapy followed by either Couples Relaxation Training or Couples Communication Skills Training. Posttest results indicated an advantage in favor of communications training. Subjects in this condition reported significantly lower scores on the agoraphobia subscale of the Fear Questionnaire, significantly more unaccompanied excursions out of the home, and performed significantly better on a Behavioral Approach Test than their counterparts in the relaxation group. While both groups demonstrated a slight tendency toward relapse at the 8-month follow-up, significant differences between groups were maintained on the Behavioral Approach Test and on the number of excursions out of the home. Communication training may help couples to identify and change patterns of interaction that impede agoraphobics' progress in overcoming phobic avoidance.