Work

Cognitive predictors of treatment outcome for exposure therapy: do changes in self-efficacy, self-focused attention, and estimated social costs predict symptom improvement in social anxiety disorder?

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Cognitions play an important role in the development and maintenance of social anxiety disorder (SAD). METHODS: = 36.9 years) diagnosed with SAD who received in vivo or virtual reality exposure therapy. RESULTS: Patients demonstrating a greater decrease in estimated social costs during treatment reported greater improvement of their social anxiety symptoms following both forms of exposure therapy. While changes in self-focused attention and social self-efficacy during treatment were significantly associated with treatment outcome when examined individually, these changes did not significantly predict symptom improvement beyond social costs. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in estimated social costs during treatment are associated with improvement of social anxiety symptoms after exposure therapy. Future research needs to further investigate estimated social costs as a predictor in relation to other cognitive variables. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01746667 ; www.clinicaltrials.gov, November 2012, retrospectively registered.

Source: BMC Psychiatry

DOI: 10.1186/s12888-019-2054-2

Authors: Isabel L. Kampmann, Paul M. G. Emmelkamp, Nexhmedin Morina

Institutions: University of Münster, University of Amsterdam

Language: English

Topic: Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,749