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Behavioral assessment of avoidance in agoraphobia

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Abstract

Behavioral avoidance testing is a substantial addition to self-report questionnaires in the assessment of agoraphobia. However, the tests currently in use have drawbacks and limitations. A multitask behavioral avoidance test (M-BAT) is presented, designed to meet some of these problems. The test was administered to a group of 58 patients and proved to be reliable in terms of internal consistency. Concordance with self-report measures of agoraphobia indicated a high concurrent validity. In comparison with self-report questionnaires, the tests produced a slightly more conservative picture of gains achieved in treatment. Finally, the data revealed that the multitask test was more concordant with other measures of agoraphobia than a single-task test would have been.

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de Beurs, E., Lange, A., Van Dyck, R. et al. Behavioral assessment of avoidance in agoraphobia. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 13, 285–300 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00960442

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