Cognitive mediation of panic reduction during an early intervention for panic.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated cognitive mediation of improvement in panic disorder (PD) symptomatology during and after an early intervention for panic symptoms in subthreshold and mild PD.

METHOD

We executed a pragmatic, pre-post, two-group, multi-site, randomized trial of an early intervention for panic symptoms, based on cognitive-behavioural therapy, vs. a wait-list control group in a sample of 217 participants with subthreshold PD or mild PD.

RESULTS

First, two of the three subscales of the mediator variable Panic Appraisal Inventory (PAI-anticipation and PAI-coping) significantly mediated residual change in PD symptomatology on the PD Severity Scale-Self Report. Second, preintervention to postintervention PAI-anticipation and PAI-coping change scores significantly predicted postintervention to follow-up change in PD symptomatology after controlling for other change scores. However, the converse association was also significant.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that changes in cognitions may mediate changes in PD symptomatology and that the process of change is circular.