Language

English

Publication Date

7-1-2025

Journal

Clinical Psychological Science

DOI

10.1177/21677026241240727

PMID

40855858

PMCID

PMC12373099

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

8-25-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Abstract

Anxiety and related disorders are a significant public health burden with rising prevalence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As demand for effective anxiety treatment increases, so too does the need for strategies to bolster treatment outcomes. Research on the mechanisms of exposure therapy, the frontline behavioral treatment, will be critically important for optimizing clinical outcomes. We outline an initial agenda for future research on the mechanisms of change of exposure therapy, developed in collaboration with a large international team of researchers through the Exposure Therapy Consortium (ETC). Key questions and recommendations for future research focus on five priority areas: conceptualization, measurement, study design/analysis, and individual/contextual differences. Rising to the challenge of addressing these questions will require coordinated action and availability of centralized tools that can be used across trials, settings, and research groups.

Keywords

anxiety, treatment, exposure therapy, mechanisms, measurement

Published Open-Access

yes

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