Group One Session Treatment: A Feasibility Study in Highly Spider Fearful Youth
Abstract
Background: One Session Treatments (OST) represent an intensive and efficacious therapeutic modality for the treatment of anxiety disorders. To date, research has been predominantly focused on individual OST in adults. Research on group OST with children and adolescents is scarce. The objective of the present study is to examine the feasibility of a group OST for highly spider fearful children and adolescents, and to conduct an initial evaluation of this treatment. Methods: A total of 19 children and adolescents (M = 11.95 years, SD = 2.66) participated in the group OST. We assessed fear of spiders using questionnaires, a clinical interview, and a behavioural approach task. Furthermore, an assessment of disgust sensitivity was conducted. Assessments were administered prior to, at the end of (post), and three months following (FU) the group OST. Results: Participants reported a high reduction in levels of spider fear (Hedges' g = 2.00 (post), g = 1.7 (FU)), increase in behavioural approach, and full remission (in 84% of cases). Participants, their caregivers, and therapists rated overall moderate to high improvements. No effects were found regarding disgust sensitivity. Group OST effects remained stable during the 3-month FU-interval. Implications: Group OST in spider fearful children and adolescents provided evidence for feasibility and efficiency.
Related
- Evaluating 20-session augmented depression therapy for complex depression (ADepT+) versus usual care: a study protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial
- Towards precision psychotherapy: Leveraging session-level data to predict session-by-session treatment outcomes
- Lorlatinib in frontline treatment of advanced ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer: a highly efficient new standard of care but still challenging to manage
- 891 Pre-clinical development of a best-in-class bispecific T cell engager targeting a highly abundant peptide for the treatment of melanoma
- Feasibility and engagement of smartphone delivered yoga imagery with or without personalized avatars in residential substance use treatment: The AT-REACH nonrandomized pilot
BibTeX
@misc{gutzweiler2026group,
title = {{Group One Session Treatment: A Feasibility Study in Highly Spider Fearful Youth}},
author = {Raphael Gutzweiler and Lou Aberfeld and Léonie Rodon and Boris Tolstich},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/yhtxr_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/yhtxr_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Group One Session Treatment: A Feasibility Study in Highly Spider Fearful Youth
AU - Raphael Gutzweiler
AU - Lou Aberfeld
AU - Léonie Rodon
AU - Boris Tolstich
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/yhtxr_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/yhtxr_v1/
AB - Background: One Session Treatments (OST) represent an intensive and efficacious therapeutic modality for the treatment of anxiety disorders. To date, research has been predominantly focused on individual OST in adults. Research on group OST with children and adolescents is scarce. The objective of the present study is to examine the feasibility of a group OST for highly spider fearful children and adolescents, and to conduct an initial evaluation of this treatment. Methods: A total of 19 children and adolescents (M = 11.95 years, SD = 2.66) participated in the group OST. We assessed fear of spiders using questionnaires, a clinical interview, and a behavioural approach task. Furthermore, an assessment of disgust sensitivity was conducted. Assessments were administered prior to, at the end of (post), and three months following (FU) the group OST. Results: Participants reported a high reduction in levels of spider fear (Hedges' g = 2.00 (post), g = 1.7 (FU)), increase in behavioural approach, and full remission (in 84% of cases). Participants, their caregivers, and therapists rated overall moderate to high improvements. No effects were found regarding disgust sensitivity. Group OST effects remained stable during the 3-month FU-interval. Implications: Group OST in spider fearful children and adolescents provided evidence for feasibility and efficiency.
ER -