Cognitive-behavioral treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: theoretical foundations and empirically supported strategies
Abstract
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most extensively studied psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and has demonstrated large effect sizes compared to waitlist and placebo control. CBT for GAD treatment protocols is based on several cognitive-behavioral models of the disorder that emphasize the role of worry as an avoidance strategy to escape from distressing internal experiences, such as negative emotions, uncomfortable physical sensations, and intrusive images. Cognitive-behavioral models also posit that positive and negative beliefs about worry are instrumental in maintaining the worry process. Common cognitive-behavioral treatment strategies to target these causal mechanisms include psychoeducation, self-monitoring of worry episodes, relaxation techniques, mindfulness exercises, cognitive reappraisal, behavioral experiments to test beliefs about worry, imaginal exposure to core fears, and commitment to valued actions. In this article, we provide an overview of cognitive-behavioral models of GAD and describe the evidence-based treatment strategies that emerged from these models. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2021;51(5):210–215.]
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Our outcome is in line with previous research indicating that brief CBT treatments are associated with a considerable decline of GAD symptoms over a relatively short interval.
“our outcome is in line with previous research indicating that brief CBT treatments are associated with a considerable decline of GAD symptoms over a relatively short interval (Xie et al., 2019; LeBlanc et al., 2021).”
From Standard CBT versus integrative and multimodal CBT assisted by virtual-reality for generalized anxiety disorder (2022) · cites this paper as LeBlanc et al., 2021
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- Authors
- LeBlanc, N. J., Bartuska, A., Blanchard, L., Baker, A., & Bui, E.
- Venue
- Psychiatric Annals
- Publisher
- SLACK, Inc.
- Published
- 2021-05
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 210-215
- ISSN
- 0048-5713 (ISSN-L)
- 1938-2456
- OpenAlex
- W3158443075
- Cited by
- 6
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 1.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychiatric Annals (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- generalized anxiety disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive-behavioral model, worry, avoidance, psychoeducation, self-monitoring, relaxation techniques, mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, behavioral experiments, imaginal exposure, treatment options
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