Chinese Therapists' Beliefs About Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders.

Abstract

The goal of this study was to assess Chinese therapists' beliefs about exposure therapy and to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Therapist Beliefs about Exposure Scale (TBES). Modification of therapists' beliefs about exposure therapy was also assessed following attendance at an exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) training workshop. A total of 203 therapists participated in the study. The TBES and a measure of anxiety sensitivity were administered in Chinese. After a half-day ERP training workshop, the Chinese version of the TBES was administered to the participants again. The Chinese version of the TBES demonstrated adequate internal consistency, moderate item-level psychometric properties, and a normal distribution in the sample in this study. The TBES scores of the participants decreased significantly after they attended an ERP training course. The reduction in TBES scores was significantly correlated with therapists' caseload of clients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The results of this study support the reliability of the Chinese version of the TBES. Chinese therapists had more negative beliefs about exposure than did American therapists who were evaluated in a different study; however, therapists' negative beliefs were significantly reduced after they attended an ERP training workshop. Future studies are encouraged to explore effective strategies to improve the disseminiation and delivery of exposure therapy in China.