Changes in risk-taking over the course of an internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy treatment for generalized anxiety disorder

It has been proposed that a persistent and pervasive tendency to avoid risks is involved in the development and maintenance of clinically significant anxiety. Few studies, however, have examined the clinical implications of risk-aversion, and particularly the association between risk-aversion and treatment outcome. The current study investigated how risk-aversion in specific domains (Social and Recreational) related to treatment outcome in a clinical sample of patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) undergoing internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). We hypothesized that: (i) risk-taking would increase as a result of treatment and (ii) risk-taking would mediate changes in symptom severity and impairment as a result of treatment. Individuals recruited online (N = 44) meeting diagnostic criteria for GAD were randomized to the treatment (n = 24) or control group (n = 20). Participants completed measures of symptom severity, impairment and risk-taking before and after treatment. Results partially confirmed our hypotheses, demonstrating that participants in the treatment group significantly increased social and recreational risk-taking scores relative to the control group and risk-taking mediated treatment outcome for depression, but not for anxiety symptoms. The results of this study suggest that social and recreational risk-avoidance decreases following CBT treatment, and this change may mediate treatment outcome for depression. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

► Few studies have examined the clinical implications of risk-avoidance.
► We explore how risk-avoidance is related to internet-based CBT outcome in GAD.
► Social and recreational risk-avoidance decreased significantly following treatment.
► Risk-avoidance was found to mediate outcome for depression but not anxiety.
► Future research should examine additional clinical implications of risk-avoidance.