The aim of the current study was to test the efficacy of an individually administered, brief (5-session) transdiagnostic treatment for anxiety disorders. The current treatment (called F-SET) focuses chiefly on the elimination of anxiety maintaining behaviors and cognitive strategies (so-called "safety" aids) among individuals suffering from a range of anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD) and panic disorder (PD).
Four primary hypotheses were evaluated in the current study: (1) the F-SET protocol would produce better overall outcome relative to a waitlist control, (2) the F-SET protocol would yield clinically significant improvement of primary diagnosis symptoms as well as secondary diagnosis symptoms, (3) the F-SET protocol would create treatment improvement that is maintained during a 1 month follow-up interval and (4) given that reduction of safety aid use is the key mechanism of change in the F-SET treatment, a reduction in safety aid use will mediate the relationship between pre and post treatment.
