None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Evidence suggests that mental imagery plays a causal and more potent role in anxiety disorders than verbal-linguistic activity. The proposed research will compare the efficacy of an Imagery Rescripting Group Cognitive Therapy (IR-GCT) protocol to traditional Group Cognitive Therapy (GCT) and waitlist control for social and performance anxiety. Participation will involve an initial assessment, completion of a 90-minute single IR-GCT, GCT intervention, or waitlist control, and post-treatment assessment. Comparison of treatment outcomes will identify whether imagery rescripting techniques are more potent than verbal-linguistic techniques in reducing performance/social anxiety. Analysis into potential mechanisms of change within both interventions may inform future treatment approaches.
Interventions
All interventions will be condensed into a 90-minute group session.
Within the imagery-rescripting group cognitive therapy (IR-GCT) protocol, participants will identify past negative social memories that are associated with current imagery in performance situations. Participants will be guided to rescript images associated with these memories by visualising the memory (1) from their child perspective, (2) from the perspective of their ‘older self’ intervening to assist the child, and (3) from
All interventions will be condensed into a 90-minute group session. Within the imagery-rescripting group cognitive therapy (IR-GCT) protocol, participants will identify past negative social memories that are associated with current imagery in performance situations. Participants will be guided to rescript images associated with these memories by visualising the memory (1) from their child perspective, (2) from the perspective of their ‘older self’ intervening to assist the child, and (3) from their child perspective observing their ‘older self’ intervening. Following IR, participants will reflect on their affect and bodily sensations and will identify any shifts in meaning of the original event. The verbally-based group cognitive therapy (VB-GCT) intervention will address similar content to IR-GCT using traditional verbal-linguistic techniques (i.e., challenging evidence for and against meanings of the original event, challenging the overestimation of probability and consequences in performance situations) with no reference to imagery. The waitlist control (WC) group will not receive an intervention until after the waiting period has lapsed. All interventions will be provided by psychologists.
Sponsors
Curtin University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
The research will involve adult participants who experience symptoms consistent with performance anxiety, as measured by the Social Interaction Phobia Scale (SIPS) and social anxiety module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for DSM-IV (MINI).
Exclusion criteria
Participants will be screened during the initial assessment using the suicidality module of the MINI to ensure that individual's at high risk of suicide can be referred to a more appropriate service. To participate in this study, individuals must be willing to not partake in any external psychological treatment between their baseline assessment and their post-treatment follow-up assessment.
Outcome results
None listed