The effects of a single bout of aerobic exercise on spider fear treatment outcomes

Abstract

Specific phobia involves severe fear or anxiety of a particular object or situation (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The disorder is associated with disruptions in functioning and often occurs in combination with other mental disorders. Aerobic exercise has not yet been explored as a potential adjunct to therapy for specific phobia, despite its success in facilitating the treatment of other psychological disorders. For example, researchers have recently demonstrated reductions in anxiety constructs through aerobic exercise treatments (Broman-Fulks, Berman, Rabian, & Webster, 2004). It is possible that exercise may have similar therapeutic effects in individuals with specific phobia. This study served to examine the impact of aerobic exercise on spider fear treatment outcomes. Forty-two individuals from the Regina community and University of Regina participant pool were screened for the study and 11 were invited to participate based on eligibility requirements. Seven individuals came into the lab and were randomly assigned to complete an aerobic exercise session (n = 4) or a placebo stretching session (n = 3). Following their exercise treatment, all participants engaged in a one-hour exposure intervention that included viewing images of spiders and watching a spider documentary. Their improvements in fear severity were assessed across the treatment. Subsequent analyses revealed that the groups did not experience significantly different outcomes following the study such that aerobic exercise was not able to enhance the effects of the brief exposure treatment. Recruitment proved to be more challenging than originally anticipated, leading to a small sample size. Implications and future directions are discussed.