Social phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by pervasive impairment in social and education/vocational functioning. The condition is associated with increased risk for a wide range of comorbid psychopathology, including depression, suicidal behavior, and substance abuse. The disorder is common, affecting over three million Americans at any time, yet is rarely treated. The onset of social phobia is typically in adolescence, and left untreated, the disorder follows a chronic, unremitting course. Treatment efforts targeting social phobia in adolescence are therefore urgently needed to arrest the development of a chronic trajectory of the disorder. Until recently, little research had focused on social phobia, leading to its being declared """"""""the neglected anxiety disorder."""""""" The past decade has witnessed important advances in the treatment of social phobia among adults. Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) programs, conducted in small groups, have been shown to be especially efficacious. Although the group format has several advantages for treating this population, it is also associated with limitations that have precluded its widespread use by practicing clinicians. Despite the recent treatment advances with adults and the critical need for early intervention, little research has addressed the treatment of social phobia in adolescence. The proposed study will examine the efficacy of group-CBT compared to individual-CBT, both relative to an educational/supportive psychotherapy (E/SP) treatment, in the treatment of adolescents with the generalized subtype of social phobia. Although group therapy is a promising treatment for adolescent social phobia, even if it is shown to be efficacious these findings are likely to have limited impact on the practice of front-line clinicians, where individual treatment is the norm. If it can be demonstrated that an individual treatment program is as effective as the state-of-the-art group-CBT treatment, the findings have a more realistic chance of positively impacting the practice of clinicians in the field. A total of 120 patients will be entered into treatment to obtain at least 90 completers. Assessments will include therapist and interviewer ratings, self-rating, and behavioral assessments. the durability of treatment gains will also be examined at a 6-month follow-up. It is predicted that both group-CBT and individual-CBT will be more effective than E/SP, and that treatment gains will be maintained through the follow-up period.
| Herbert, James D; Gaudiano, Brandon A; Rheingold, Alyssa A et al. (2009) Cognitive behavior therapy for generalized social anxiety disorder in adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. J Anxiety Disord 23:167-77 |
| Herbert, James D; Crittenden, Kia; Dalrymple, Kristy L (2004) Knowledge of social anxiety disorder relative to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among educational professionals. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 33:366-72 |
| Kashdan, T B; Herbert, J D (2001) Social anxiety disorder in childhood and adolescence: current status and future directions. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 4:37-61 |
