Behavioral and cognitive group treatment for fear of flying: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

In a long-standing fear-of-flying program, persons with fear of flying (N=150) were after a diagnostic assessment and individual preparation phase randomly assigned to either a 1-day behavioral group treatment (BGT) program, a 2-day cognitive-behavioral group treatment (CBGT) program or a waiting list (WL) control group. A post-treatment flight on a commercial airline measured participants' ability to fly. Different self-report flight anxiety questionnaires were completed before, during and after treatment at 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-up. Results indicated that both treatments were superior to the WL, and equally effective on the flying test and later independent flying, but also that the 2-day CBGT program was significantly more effective than the 1-day BGT program on subjective measures of fear and self-efficacy.