4 - (OP16) Overcoming Emetophobia with a Journey Through Bia: Examining the Effectiveness and Uptake of an Online Self-guided, Evidence-based Treatment Program

The fear of vomiting, otherwise known as emetophobia, is a significant issue for up to 8% of the general population, resulting in notable impairment or distress in those struggling with this fear. While gold standard behavioral approaches exist for this phobia, these are not accessible to everyone due to the shortage of therapists specializing in its treatment and the high cost of psychotherapy in general. This paper, therefore, describes and explores the effectiveness of an online, self-guided treatment program specifically for emetophobia called Bia, which has been available to the public since 2022, with over 2000 users amassed thus far. We examine and compare two subsets of users (n = 646) from this larger group, i.e., those who have paid for full access to the program (which is set at a very affordable cost for the vast majority of the population in need) and those gifted full access to all program components for free. Specifically, we report on the following metrics for the overall sample and between- group analyses: average time of use, frequency of use, duration of use per session, effectiveness, and percentage of drop-off cases/longer term retention, finding generally high engagement across all of these metrics, with some general patterns of better outcomes for the paying group. We discuss future directions stemming from the findings of this study, why it is particularly relevant for outcomes for emetophobia, and the potential of this program to inform anxiety disorder outcomes broadly, including what sets this program apart from other self-help/self-guided programs.