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Systematic desensitization and integrative approach: A comparative evaluation in treating public speaking anxiety
Abstract
Research on public speaking anxiety suggests that choice of therapeutic treatment should be made according to specific individual needs and personal characteristics. Specific research on treatment efficacy indicates that while some individuals do benefit somewhat from any specific treatment, results can be significantly increased by using the therapeutic treatment that is specifically adapted to the particular needs of each person. This study is designed to evaluate an integrative approach (IA) that aims to address the different individual needs and allows the individual to use his/her own creative powers of visualization to overcome public speaking anxiety. The two specific research questions investigated are: (1) does the IA reduce or eliminate public speaking anxiety? (2) is there a significant difference between the integrative approach (IA) and the systematic desensitization (SD) treatments in reducing public speaking anxiety? Thirty-four speech anxious undergraduate students were randomly assigned to two treatments and a control group. Measurements included self report, physiological and overt motor behavioral measures. All subjects scored 80 or above on the PRCA-24 and scored high on the STAI Form Y-1. Skin temperature, muscle tension, electrodermal response, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and heart rate were measured before and after treatment. In addition, all subjects were monitored for overt motor behavioral changes during sessions 1 and 3. All subjects participating in this study had high anxiety levels at the outset of the study. Results indicate that the IA approach produced significantly lower self-report measures of anxiety and lower overt motor behavioral scores than either the control group or the SD group. No treatment was significantly more effective in producing lowered physiological measures. All treatment groups showed a significant lowering of physiological measures from pre-test to post-test.
Subject Area
Communication|Academic guidance counseling
Recommended Citation
Rossi, Ana Maria, "Systematic desensitization and integrative approach: A comparative evaluation in treating public speaking anxiety" (1988). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8818653.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8818653