Changing the Course of Social Anxiety in Adolescence: What Works, Why, and for Whom

Detailed Summary

Social anxiety often reaches its peak during adolescence and may hold a noteworthy impact both at the social and academic levels. Though some adolescents easily learn to adequately cope with it, others become overwhelmed by social fears and end up avoiding social events or facing them with intense suffering. Adolescents with social anxiety disorder (SAD) seldom seek professional help and often become adults with SAD, making it necessary to timely intervene during early stages of the disorder and determine what works better, why, and for whom when trying to change the course of social anxiety in adolescence. Cognitive therapy (CT) has been the treatment of choice for adult SAD, but research within adolescent samples is scarce. More recently, third-wave cognitive approaches, namely compassion-focused therapy (CFT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), have also proven effective in treating mental disorders, but their efficacy towards adolescents' SAD remains unclear. This research project intended to evaluate and compare the therapeutic efficacy of CT, CFT, and ACT as applied to adolescents with SAD, in comparison with waiting-listed, after intervention and over a 12-weeks and a 24-weeks follow-up, using a randomized parallel trial approach. This methodology will allow to test if intervened subjects diverge from the non-intervened SAD subjects, and if therapeutic change differs across intervention conditions. Therapeutic change process will be investigated, specifically if efficacy is mediated by change in the core constructs of each theoretical framework. Finally, moderators of change such the initial level of symptomology will be examined, as to determine which intervention works best for whom. The same procedures will be repeated for each intervention condition, namely recruitment, intervention, and assessment. This research will provide evidence on which form of therapy may be the optimal choice in to intervene in SAD in general, and when dealing with diverse specific vulnerabilities associated with social fears. It will also add to the field of empirically validated therapies, with a specific focus on adolescence. From a societal perspective, the project will assist in empowering schools to contribute to shape how their students act and develop into socially apt adults.

Study Details

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Interventions