A pilot study of intensive 7-day internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder

Autor: Ian Li, Alison E.J. Mahoney, Maria J. Sharrock, Jill M. Newby, Ashlee B. Grierson, Eileen P. Stech, Natasha Jain
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of anxiety disorders. 84
ISSN: 1873-7897
Popis: Accessible, affordable cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) options for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) that allow for rapid symptom improvement are needed. The present study investigated the first intensive, 7-day internet-based CBT for SAD. An open pilot trial was conducted to test the acceptability, feasibility and preliminary outcomes of the program in a sample of 16 participants (9 females, M age = 40.34, SD = 10.55) with a DSM-5 diagnosis of SAD. Participants were enrolled into the 6-lesson online program, and completed the Social Phobia Scale [SPS], Social Interaction Anxiety Scale [SIAS], Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) at baseline, post and one month follow-up. We found support for the feasibility and acceptability of the program; 15 participants (93.8%) completed the program, and all participants reported the program was satisfactory. Large, significant reductions in social anxiety severity on both the SPS and SIAS (Hedges’ gs = 1.26–1.9) and functional impairment (WSAS; gs = 0.88–0.98) were found at post-treatment and follow-up. Medium, significant reductions in depressive symptom severity were also found (gs = 0.88–0.98 at post and follow-up, respectively). A third of participants scored below the clinical cut-off on both the SPS and SIAS at post-treatment and follow-up. A randomized controlled trial with longer follow-up is needed to evaluate the efficacy of this intensive internet-based treatment for SAD. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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