Changes in construals of tic-producing situations following cognitive and behavioral therapy

Abstract

12 clients suffering from chronic tics participated in one of two treatment programs, either a behavioral group using competing response therapy or a group using Beck-style cognitive restructuring. A repertory grid based upon the personal construct psychology of George Kelly was administered to all clients before and after treatment. The grid comprised a set of elements made up of situations with high, medium, and low risk of eliciting tics, and constructs were derived from comparisons between them. Clients' ratings of the elements on the constructs were subjected to a principal components analysis using an INGRID program. Following treatment the total variation around construct means decreased in both groups but significantly more in the cognitive group, indicating a narrowing of the difference in their perceptions of situations which formerly indicated high and low risk of inducing tics.