A demonstration of the efficacy of two of the components of cognitive therapy for social phobia

• Published in: Journal of anxiety disorders 2009-05, Vol.23 (4), p.496-503
• Main Authors: McManus, Freda, Clark, David M, Grey, Nick, Wild, Jennifer, Hirsch, Colette, Fennell, Melanie, Hackmann, Ann, Waddington, Louise, Liness, Sheena, Manley, John
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy; Behavioral experiment; Biological and medical sciences; Clinical psychology; Cognitive therapy; Cognitive Therapy - methods; Efficacy; Escape Reaction; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Periodicals; Phobia; Phobic Disorders - diagnosis; Phobic Disorders - psychology; Phobic Disorders - therapy; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Safety behaviors; Safety behaviour; Self-focused attention; Social phobia; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome; Treatments; Video feedback; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0887-6185; 1873-7897
• DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2008.10.010

Abstract Cognitive-behavioral treatments have demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of social phobia. However, such treatments comprise a complex set of procedures, and there has been little investigation of the effects of individual procedures. The current study investigates the effects of two single session procedures that form part of cognitive therapy for social phobia [Clark, D., Ehlers, A., McManus, F., Hackmann, A., Fennell, M., Campbell, H., et al. (2003). Cognitive therapy vs fluoxetine in the treatment of social phobia: A randomised placebo controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 71 , 1058–1067; Clark, D., Ehlers, A., McManus, F., Fennell, M., Grey, N., Waddington, L., et al. (2006). Cognitive therapy versus exposure and applied relaxation in social phobia: A randomised controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74 , 568–578], namely the “self-focused attention and safety behaviors experiment” and the “video feedback experiment.” Results suggest that both procedures are effective in achieving their aims, which are: (i) demonstrating to patients the role of self-focused attention, safety behaviors, and excessively negative self-impressions in maintaining social phobia and (ii) reducing the symptoms of social phobia.