Disconfirming contamination-related threat beliefs by exposure plus safety behavior.

Background And Objectives: Safety behavior (SB) is detrimental to the beneficial effects of exposure, because it prevents patients from obtaining evidence that disconfirms their excessive threat beliefs. However, previous studies showed that cleaning SB during exposure to a contaminant does not prevent a reduction in feelings of contamination, fear of contamination, danger, and disgust (CFDD). We aimed to directly examine the effect of SB during exposure to a contaminant on threat beliefs associated with CFDD.