Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Stoddard, Jill A

Titel

Development and single case evaluation of an intensive cognitive -behavioral treatment for social phobia

Ort / Verlag

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Erscheinungsjahr

2007

Link zum Volltext

• ProQuest

Quelle

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Social phobia has been estimated to occur in 3--13% of the population and is a chronic disorder that has early onset and results in considerable impairment. Managed care has increased pressure to maximize the efficiency of existing treatments. Brief treatment has potential benefits of more rapid relief from symptoms and increased-cost-effectiveness. Also, while the literature suggests that 13--18 sessions are required for 50% of patients to improve, patients in naturalistic settings receive an average of only 5 treatment sessions. Studies of brief interventions for some anxiety disorders have earned empirical support, but to date, little information is available regarding the efficacy of abbreviated treatments for social phobia. The present study investigated the efficacy of a 6-session, intensive cognitive behavioral treatment for social phobia. Participants were 5 patients presenting to an outpatient anxiety treatment center with a principal diagnosis of social phobia, generalized type. The study implemented a single case within-series phase change design applied in a multiple baseline across subjects. Outcome was assessed using multiple self-report, clinician administered, and behavioral measures of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological aspects of social phobia, anxiety, and depression. The results of a composite measure indicated that 4 out of 5 participants improved at least moderately in response to the present treatment and of those, 3 maintained improvement at 3-month follow-up. However, only 2 reached moderate to high endstate status and all 5 remained diagnosed with clinically significant social phobia by 3-month follow-up. On the primary dimensional outcome measure, percent improvement ranged from 1--48% from pre-test to post-test (mean 24.6%) and from 0--66% from pre-test to 3-month follow-up (mean 22.1%). Confidence intervals for this measure were calculated based on means and standard deviations from a reference sample of individuals with untreated social phobia. Only one participant scored outside the 95% confidence interval on this measure following treatment. These results show mixed support for the efficacy of a brief intervention for social phobia.