Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: Predictors of Outcome
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This study aimed at exploring patients' pre- treatment characteristics predicting the outcome of a guided Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) program for social anxiety disorder (SAD). The participants' (N=37, 37% female; Mean age = 25.62, SD = 5.83) self-reported level of social anxiety, depression, and interpersonal problems, together with clinicians' ratings of symptom severity was obtained before and after treatment. Possible predictors were collected through pre- treatment surveys, and included socio- demographics, illness- and treatment history, expectations about what will help, comorbidity, sleeping problems, present level of functioning, social support, life events, and self-efficacy. Higher levels of social support predicted better treatment outcome for the primary outcome measures of social anxiety disorder. We also found that preferring to learn new things about one-self, and self-efficacy related to social support to do the self-help tasks in the modules, predicted better interpersonal functioning after treatment. None of the predictors included in the present analyses could predict change in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. Social support appears to play a central role in predicting a positive outcome of ICBT for SAD.
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W614925951