Morning Exposure Therapy and Its Link to Stress Hormone Patterns in OCD and Agoraphobia

Significant diurnal differences in salivary cortisol were observed between the morning and late afternoon groups.

• No notable differences were found in measures of distress or response to exposure therapy between the morning and late afternoon groups after controlling for chronotype.
• Indicators of habituation and distress-related expectancy violation did not show significant variation across the different timing of exposure sessions.
• Estimates suggest that nearly one hundred subjects per group would be required to detect statistically significant daytime differences in therapy outcomes.
• Preliminary findings do not support the notion that morning sessions are more effective for exposure therapy in patients with anxiety spectrum disorders.
• Future research may explore whether administering glucocorticoids before exposure therapy could enhance treatment outcomes.

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