The functional value of preventive and restorative safety behaviors: A systematic review of the literature

Clinical Psychology Review
Amy R GoetzHan-Joo Lee

Abstract

Safety behaviors are unnecessary actions used to prevent, escape from, or reduce the severity of a perceived threat. Most cognitive-behavioral theorists posit that the use of safety behaviors during exposure is maladaptive because they interfere with fear reduction. However, there is growing evidence suggesting that the use of safety behaviors can facilitate exposure. In general, the findings are mixed as to whether safety behaviors should be made available during exposure-based interventions. The aim of the current review was to evaluate whether safety behaviors should be made accessible during exposure, and whether under certain circumstances, they facilitate or hinder important exposure outcomes. We examined two functional types of safety behaviors: preventive and restorative. A thorough review of the safety behavior literature from the last three decades was conducted. The evidence suggests (restorative) safety behaviors that allow for full confrontation with a core threat do not interfere with meaningful indicators of successful exposure, whereas (preventive) safety behaviors that hinder engagement with the stimulus or experience may weaken exposure outcomes. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Feb 15, 2019·Cognitive Behaviour Therapy·Joshua J KempBrett J Deacon
Apr 13, 2019·Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy·Johanna M MeyerBrett J Deacon
Nov 11, 2020·The American Journal of Psychiatry·Paola Odriozola, Dylan G Gee
Apr 6, 2021·Anxiety, Stress, and Coping·Stefanie DuijndamNina Kupper
Apr 4, 2021·Psychiatry Research·Prerika SharmaLeonardo F Fontenelle
May 8, 2021·Anxiety, Stress, and Coping·Heather BakerMelisa Robichaud
Jun 3, 2021·Anxiety, Stress, and Coping·Sidney A Saint, David A Moscovitch
Jun 1, 2021·Physiology & Behavior·Hanna MellesAnita Jansen
Oct 14, 2020·Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry·Santiago PapiniJasper A J Smits

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