Social Anxiety Disorder
Conditions
Brief summary
The aim of this randomized, controlled study is to examine an internet delivered, self-help program for social anxiety based on psychodynamic therapy. The study will compare three conditions: the psychodynamic program with therapist support, without therapist support and a waitlist control.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALExperimental: Internet delivered self-help program with therapist support
During 8 weeks of treatment participants are taught how emotional conflicts may underlie and perpetuate symptoms of social anxiety. They are also taught how to observe their own anxiety and emotional avoidance (i.e. defenses) and how to gradually approach previously warded off feelings. The final part of the program contains material on how one may express previously warded off emotions to improve important relationships. The treatment program consists of text, videos and a series of experiential exercises which a therapist gives feedback on.
BEHAVIORALInternet delivered self-help program without therapist support
During 8 weeks of treatment participants are taught how emotional conflicts may underlie and perpetuate symptoms of social anxiety. They are also taught how to observe their own anxiety and emotional avoidance (i.e. defenses) and how to gradually approach previously warded off feelings. The final part of the program contains material on how one may express previously warded off emotions to improve important relationships. The treatment program consists of text, videos and a series of experiential exercises.
Sponsors
Stockholm University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* 18 years old or older * Fulfill the DSM-5 criteria for social anxiety disorder (Score \> 60 on the self-assessment instrument LSAS-SR) * Have access to a computer/smartphone/tablet with internet connection * Be able to read and write Swedish.
Exclusion criteria
* Suicidal (within the previous month, assessed with the self-assessment instrument C-SSRS) * Partaking in psychological treatment * Ongoing treatment with psychopharmacological drugs with dose adjustments within the nearest month or planned dose adjustments. The following self-reported diagnoses are excluded: * Autism spectrum disorder * Serious depression (Score ≥ 20 on the PHQ9) * Indications of psychosis or bipolar disorder (type 1 or 2).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Self-Report, (LSAS-SR) | Change from baseline to post-treatment (8 week) and follow up (6, 12 and 24 months after treatment) | The LSAS-SR features 48 items assessing social anxiety symptoms. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7- item scale (GAD-7) | Change from baseline to post-treatment (8 week) and follow up (6, 12 and 24 months after treatment) | The GAD-7 features seven items for assessing anxiety and screening for generalized anxiety disorder. |
| Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item scale (PHQ-9) | Change from baseline to post-treatment (8 week) and follow up (6, 12 and 24 months after treatment) | The PHQ-9 features nine items for assessing depression in a clinical context and screening of depression in the general population |
| Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale (BBQ) | Change from baseline to post-treatment (8 week) and follow up (6, 12 and 24 months after treatment) | The BBQ features 12 items concerning 6 areas of life rated on importance and satisfaction. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Reflective Functioning Questionnaire 8 (RFQ-8) | Change from baseline, treatment week 1-8, to post-treatment (8 weeks). | RFQ features 8 items assessing the ability to understand mental states of the self and others. |
| The Personality Inventory for DSM Short Form (PID-5) | Baseline | The PID-5 is a self-rated measure of personality-related problems featuring 25 items. |
| Internet Intervention Patient Adherence Scale | Change from baseline, and week 4, to post-treatment (8 weeks). | iiPAS is rated by a clinician and features 5 items assessing a particular patient's adherence to internet-delivered psychological interventions. |
| The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) | Change from baseline to post-treatment (8 week) and follow up (6, 12 and 24 months after treatment) | Features 30 items assessing psychological strategies for handling emotional distress. |
| Self-Compassion Scale short-form (SCS-SF) | Change from baseline, week 3 and 6, to post-treatment (8 weeks) and follow up (6, 12 and 24 months after treatment) | The SCS-SF features 12 items to record self-compassion towards yourself in difficult life situations. |
| Defense Mechanism Rating Scale, Self-Report-30 (DMRS-SR-30) | Change from baseline to post-treatment (8 week) | DMRS-SR-30 features 30 items assessing psychological factors that influence emotional distress and quality of life. |
Countries
Sweden
Outcome results
None listed