Vicarious Extinction Attenuates Reinstatement of High-Intensity Fear: The Role of the Acquisition-To-Extinction Interval.

Authors

Biao Feng, Xin Ai, Fuwei Huang, Wei Chen, Xifu Zheng

Published in

Psychophysiology. Volume 63. Issue 6. Pages e70344.

Abstract

Abnormal fear is a core symptom of various anxiety disorders and a key focus of clinical intervention. Previous research has demonstrated that vicarious extinction effectively reduces fear and inhibits its reinstatement. However, these studies primarily focus on moderate-intensity fear, which is distinct from the high-intensity fear typically experienced by clinical populations. Experiment 1 (N = 54) of this study investigated the impact of fear intensity (High vs. Moderate) on the efficacy of immediate vicarious extinction. Results revealed that while vicarious extinction reduced moderate-intensity fear and inhibited reinstatement, its efficacy for high-intensity fear was limited; specifically, the high-intensity group exhibited significantly higher overall skin conductance responses (SCRs) during reinstatement testing and elevated retrospective US expectancy ratings. Building upon these findings, Experiment 2 (N = 56) examined whether intervention timing could optimize outcomes for high-intensity fear by comparing three intervention timings: 1-day delay, 14-day delay, and an immediate intervention baseline (from Experiment 1). Results showed that while the 1-day delay intervention remained suboptimal, vicarious extinction implemented after a 14-day delay significantly enhanced efficacy. Specifically, the 14-day group showed lower overall fear reinstatement than the immediate group, as well as reduced CS+ reactivity and differential responses (CS+ minus CS-) relative to the 1-day group, achieving outcomes comparable to the moderate-intensity group in Experiment 1. In conclusion, while immediate vicarious extinction has limited impact on high-intensity fear, introducing an appropriate interval (e.g., 14 days) significantly enhances its efficacy. These findings highlight the interaction between fear intensity and intervention delay, suggesting that identifying optimal timing is crucial for intervening in clinically relevant high-intensity fear.

PMID:
42321994
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Jun 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.