Adults with Animal Phobia: Systematic Replication of Clinical Cases

Abstract

Animal phobia is common in children, but it is also frequent in adults who maintain the problem throughout their lives. Eleven cases of animal phobia that were treated with progressive multimedia exposure are presented. The participants were two men and nine women (aged 19–27 years), with anxiety and avoidance problems in relation to various animals. A single-case A-B-Follow-up design was carried out, with concurrent control of several baselines; and a systematic between-subjects replication, with the same treatment repeated across different participants and types of phobias. A behavioural interview, phobia questionnaires, and Multimedia Behavioural Avoidance Test (M-BAT) with pictures and videos of animals, as well as heart rate, were used for assessment purposes. The intervention was the progressive multimedia exposure in four phases (photographs, videos, simulated animals, and live exposure), in addition to diaphragmatic breathing, and homework assignments. The results replicate the same efficacy in each of the participants, with statistically significant and clinical changes in their daily lives. Also, the data as a group show this success with a high Cohen's d effect size (between −1.63 and −30.03). We conclude with an appraisal of the usefulness of the procedure for adults with phobias who do not tolerate direct exposure.