Virtual Reality and Exposure Group Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: Results from a 4–6 Year Follow-Up

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Page L. Anderson ◽  
Shannan M. Edwards ◽  
Jessica R. Goodnight
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Group Therapy ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Exposure Group

The Course of the Working Alliance during Virtual Reality and Exposure Group Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Ngai ◽  
Erin C. Tully ◽  
Page L. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Group Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Working Alliance ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Exposure Group

Background: Psychoanalytic theory and some empirical research suggest the working alliance follows a “rupture and repair” pattern over the course of therapy, but given its emphasis on collaboration, cognitive behavioral therapy may yield a different trajectory. Aims: The current study compares the trajectory of the working alliance during two types of cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder – virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) and exposure group therapy (EGT), one of which (VRE) has been proposed to show lower levels of working alliance due to the physical barriers posed by the technology (e.g. no eye contact with therapist during exposure). Method: Following randomization, participants (N = 63) diagnosed with social anxiety disorder received eight sessions of manualized EGT or individual VRE and completed a standardized self-report measure of working alliance after each session. Results: Hierarchical linear modeling showed overall high levels of working alliance that changed in rates of growth over time; that is, increases in working alliance scores were steeper at the beginning of therapy and slowed towards the end of therapy. There were no differences in working alliance between the two treatment groups. Conclusion: Results neither support a rupture/repair pattern nor the idea that the working alliance is lower for VRE participants. Findings are consistent with the idea that different therapeutic approaches may yield different working alliance trajectories.

Attentional Heterogeneity in Social Anxiety Disorder: Evidence from Hidden Markov Models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael Rubin ◽  
Karl Muller ◽  
Mary Hayhoe ◽  
Michael Telch
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Hidden Markov ◽  
Attention Control ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Pre Treatment

There is some evidence for heterogeneity in attentional processes among individuals with social anxiety. However, there is limited work considering how attentional processes may differ in a naturalistic task-based context (e.g., public speaking). In this secondary analysis we tested attentional heterogeneity among individuals (N = 21) with social anxiety disorder in the context of a virtual reality exposure treatment study. Participants completed a public speaking challenge in an immersive 360º-video virtual reality environment with eye tracking at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at 1-week follow-up. Using a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) approach with clustering we tested whether there were distinct profiles of attention pre-treatment and whether there were changes following the intervention. As a secondary aim we tested whether the distinct attentional profiles at pre-treatment predicted differential treatment outcomes. We found two distinct attentional profiles pre-treatment that we characterized as vigilant/diffuse attention control and avoidant/high attention control. By the 1-week follow-up the two profiles were no longer meaningfully different. We found a difference between HMM groups for fear at public speaking at post-treatment b = -8.54, 95% Highest Density Interval (HDI) [-16.00, -0.90], Bayes Factor (BF) = 8.31 but not at one-week follow-up b = -5.83, 95% HDI [-13.25, 1.81], BF = 2.28. These findings provide support for heterogeneity in attentional processes among socially anxious individuals is likely, but that this may change following treatment. Moreover, our results provide evidence that attentional avoidance may be related to poorer treatment outcomes.

Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural group therapy for social anxiety disorder: long-term benefits and aftercare

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 501-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara Fogarty ◽  
David Hevey ◽  
Odhrán McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Group Therapy ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
The Impact

AbstractBackground:Empirical research demonstrates the short- to medium-term efficacy and effectiveness of cognitive behavioural group therapy (CBGT) for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Little is known about the durability of gains beyond 1 year following treatment in real-life clinical settings. Literature regarding the impact of aftercare programs as an adjunct to CBGT treatment on SAD is scarce.Aims:To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of CBGT for SAD in a community sample and to explore the relationship between long-term treatment outcomes and aftercare support group attendance.Method:A longitudinal cohort design evaluated changes in standardized psychological measures assessing aspects of SAD, anxiety and depression. Questionnaires were completed before the program (time 1, N = 457), after the program (time 2, n = 369) and at an average of 4.6 years follow-up (time 3, n = 138).Results:Large treatment effect sizes at post-intervention were maintained at long-term follow-up on measures of SAD, anxiety and depression. There was no statistically significant relationship between frequency of attendance at an aftercare support group and degree of improvement from post-treatment severity on any measure.Conclusions:CBGT is an effective intervention in the long-term in a routine clinical setting and should be considered a viable treatment option for SAD. Recommendations for future research, treatment implications and study limitations are considered.

scholarly journals Appropriate Number of Treatment Sessions in Virtual Reality-Based Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 915
Author(s):  
Hyu Seok Jeong ◽  
Jee Hyun Lee ◽  
Hesun Erin Kim ◽  
Jae-Jin Kim
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Early Termination ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Extension Group

Virtual reality (VR) was introduced to maximize the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) by efficiently performing exposure therapy. The purpose of this study was to find out whether VR-based individual CBT with relatively few treatment sessions is effective in improving social anxiety disorder (SAD). This therapy was applied to 115 patients with SAD who were retrospectively classified into 43 patients who completed the nine or 10 sessions normally (normal termination group), 52 patients who finished the sessions early (early termination group), and 20 patients who had extended the sessions (session extension group). The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) scores tended to decrease in all groups as the session progressed, and the slope of decrease was the steepest in the early termination group and the least steep in the session extension group. Severity of social anxiety in the last session and symptom reduction rate showed no significant group difference. Our findings suggest that short-term VR-based individual CBT of nine to 10 sessions may be effective. When the therapeutic effect is insufficient during this period, the additional benefit may be minimal if the session is simply extended. The improvement in the early termination group suggests that even shorter sessions of five or six can also be effective.

scholarly journals Reductions in social anxiety during treatment predict lower levels of loneliness during follow-up among individuals with social anxiety disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 102362
Author(s):  
Emily B. O’Day ◽  
Rachel M. Butler ◽  
Amanda S. Morrison ◽  
Philippe R. Goldin ◽  
James J. Gross ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder

scholarly journals A pilot study of clonazepam versus psychodynamic group therapy plus clonazepam in the treatment of generalized social anxiety disorder

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 567-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Z. Knijnik ◽  
Carlos Blanco ◽  
Giovanni Abrahão Salum ◽  
Carolina U. Moraes ◽  
Clarissa Mombach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Group Therapy ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Global Functioning ◽  
Psychodynamic Group Therapy ◽  
Efficacy Measures ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractBackgroundBoth psychodynamic group therapy (PGT) and clonazepam are used as treatment strategies in reducing symptoms of generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD). However, many individuals remain symptomatic after treatment with PGT or clonazepam.MethodFifty-eight adult outpatients with a diagnosis of GSAD according to DSM-IV were randomized to 12 weeks PGT plus clonazepam or clonazepam. The Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Scale was the primary efficacy measure. Secondary efficacy measures included the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) total score, the World Health Organization Instrument to Assess Quality of Life—Brief (WHOQOL-Bref) Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).ResultsCGI-I data from 57 patients (intent-to-treat population) showed that patients who received PGT plus clonazepam presented significantly greater improvement than those who received clonazepam (P = 0.033). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the secondary efficacy measures.ConclusionsOur study suggests that the combination of PGT with clonazepam may be a promising strategy for the treatment of GSAD, regarding gains in the global functioning. However the present study failed to detect more specific changes in social anxiety symptomatology between the two groups.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document