ReviewJournal of anxiety disorders2018
Rethinking avoidance: Toward a balanced approach to avoidance in treating anxiety disorders.
Review in Journal of anxiety disorders, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 97 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
97 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effect of SSRIs on fear learning: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Psychopharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Black People Coping With Racism: Approaches, Analysis, and Empowerment.Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science · 2023Pooled it
- Exploring reciprocal links between early adolescent coping and internalizing symptoms.Journal of adolescence · 2025Trial
- A conceptual framework for the diagnostic pathology of anxiety disorders: Clinical and pathological tetrads for identifying pathological anxiety.Indian journal of psychiatry · 2026Article
- Mechanisms Underlying Pain Avoidance in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2026Observational
- Self-inconsistency and attachment insecurity mediate and moderate the association between anxiety and reasons for living in Chinese college students.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The Effects of Occupational Stress and Stress Management on the Performance of Frontline Healthcare Service Workers.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Developmental Trajectories of Basic Psychological Need Frustration in Early and Middle Adolescence and Their Associations with Mental Health.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2026Article
- Midbrain endocannabinoids actuate dopamine-based action selection.Cell reports · 2026Article
- Promoting Flexibility in Expectations: A Randomized-Controlled Online-Intervention Study for Mild Psychopathological Symptoms.Clinical psychology in Europe · 2026Article
- Understanding the Psychological Impacts of Shielding From COVID-19 for Immunocompromised Individuals.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Anxiety facilitates disengagement when switching from negative-valenced stimuli: Mediating role of attentional control.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2026Article
- Abuse and coping strategies among older adults (above 60 years) in Lira district, Northern Uganda: A mixed-methods study protocol.PloS one · 2026Article
- Exploring the benefits of altered states of consciousness and reduced experiential avoidance for mental well-being: insights from a global study on high ventilation breathwork.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Anxiety in patients referred for elective coronary angiography: a prospective cohort study.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2025Article
- Healthcare Information Avoidance in the Context of Caring for a Child with a Serious Illness.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Testing Judicious Use of Safety Behaviors During Exposure: A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining When and For Whom Safety Behaviors Improve Fear Reduction.Cognitive therapy and research · 2025Article
- Living with mental health issues: citizen science project on self-management strategies.Npj mental health research · 2025Article
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Co-occurring Mental and Chronic Health Conditions.The Psychiatric clinics of North America · 2025Review
- Article
37 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Avoidance is typically considered a maladaptive behavioral response to excessive fear and anxiety, leading to the maintenance of anxiety disorders. Exposure is a core element of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. One important aspect of this treatment is repeated and prolonged exposure to a threat while discouraging patients from using avoidance strategies, such as escape or safety behaviors. We will first revisit the role of avoidance learning in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders, including important insights from the neuroscience literature. Next, we will consider both the negative and positive aspects of avoidance for therapeutic interventions. Finally, we will explore the application of adaptive avoidance in exposure therapy for anxiety disorders. We will argue that there are occasions when avoidance behaviors can serve as effective coping strategies to enhance the person's perception of control over the environment and the potential threat. We conclude that avoidance behaviors can be a valuable therapeutic element, depending on the function of these behaviors.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.