Social Anxiety
Conditions
Keywords
Social Anxiety, Safety Behaviors, Intervention, Text-message
Brief summary
The current study aims to explore the efficacy of a text message based Safety Behavior Fading Intervention compared to an active control intervention.
Detailed description
Safety behavior fading may be a viable standalone intervention for social anxiety. In the present trial, participants high in social anxiety will be randomized to either receive a daily checklist exercise aimed at eliminating (1) safety behaviors or (2) unhealthy behaviors. Individuals randomly assigned to the safety behavior fading condition will receive instructions to decrease or eliminate their four most habitual social anxiety safety behaviors. In addition, they will receive daily reminders via text message to decrease these behaviors, along with a safety behavior monitoring checklist in which the participant indicates the extent to which they decreased and/or eliminated each safety behavior over the previous day. Individuals randomly assigned to the control condition will receive similar text messages and a daily checklist to encourage fading of unhealthy behaviors. Participants in both conditions will complete checklists for 28 days. After day 14 of treatment, participants will re-select their target safety behaviors or unhealthy behaviors, and will then be prompted to reduce these new behaviors for another 14 days.
Interventions
Participants are asked to reduce or eliminate safety behaviors via text message reminders and checklists to monitor progress.
BEHAVIORALUnhealthy Behavior Fading
Participants are asked to reduce or eliminate unhealthy behaviors via text message reminders and checklists to monitor progress.
Sponsors
Florida State University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Masking description
Participants will receive one of two matched interventions. They will not be told whether they are receiving the active or control intervention.
Intervention model description
Participants will be randomized in to one of two conditions
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Social Phobia Inventory Score \>29 * Stable Psychotropic Medications for 4 weeks prior to participation
Exclusion criteria
* Currently participating in psychotherapy for social anxiety
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) | Time Frame: Day 0, Day 14, Day 28, Day 56 | Self-report scale that measures Social anxiety symptoms. Scores range from 0 to 68 with higher scores indicating higher levels of social anxiety symptoms. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Center For Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Ten Item Version (CESD-10) | Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56 | A 10-item self-report scale measuring depression symptoms; higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms. |
| Change in UCLA Loneliness Scale, Short Form (ULS-8) | Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56 | An 8-item self-report measure of subjective loneliness, with higher scores indicating greater loneliness. |
| Change in Self-Beliefs Related to Social Anxiety Scale (SBSA) | Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56 | A 15-item scale measuring common and generally maladaptive beliefs related to social anxiety. |
| Change in Subtle Avoidance Frequency Examination (SAFE) scale | Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56 | A 32-item self-report measure of safety behavior usage frequency |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed