scholarly journals A Modified Trier Social Stress Test to Investigate Social Anxiety using Videoconferencing Software: A Proof-of-Concept study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Huneke ◽  
Hannah Rowlatt ◽  
Joshua Hyde ◽  
Louise Maryan ◽  
David Baldwin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Experimental Medicine ◽  
Interaction Task

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common mental disorders and can be significantly disabling. New treatments are needed as the remission rate for SAD is the lowest of all the anxiety disorders. Experimental medicine models, in which features resembling a clinical disorder are experimentally induced, can be a cost-effective and timely approach to explore potential novel treatments for psychiatric disorders. One such model is the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), which induces social-evaluative threat and subsequent stress responses in participants. However, following the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, there is a need to develop protocols that can be carried out remotely. We developed a novel modified TSST to investigate SAD that can be carried out entirely online (the Internet-based Trier Stress test for Social Anxiety Disorder; iTSSAD). Our protocol involves a naturalistic social interaction task to explore social anxiety symptoms. The observing panel was also artificial which allows the entire protocol to be carried out by a single investigator, reducing costs and improving internal reliability. The iTSSAD induced significant subjective anxiety and reduced positive affect (F’s > 4.41, p’s < 0.02). Further, social anxiety symptoms correlated with anxiety during the social interaction task (r = 0.65, p = 0.0032). This protocol needs further validation with physiological measures. The iTSSAD is a new tool for researchers to investigate mechanisms underlying social anxiety disorder.

The cortisol response to social stress in social anxiety disorder

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 57-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oriana Vaccarino ◽  
Robert Levitan ◽  
Arun Ravindran
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Cortisol Response

The impact of alcohol use disorders and alcohol consumption on treatment-seeking individuals with social anxiety disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-122
Author(s):  
Mirjana Subotic-Kerry ◽  
Andrew J. Baillie ◽  
Lexine A. Stapinski ◽  
Maree J. Abbott ◽  
Jo MacDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorders ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Low Incidence ◽  
The Impact

Comorbid social anxiety and alcohol use disorders (SAD-AUD) in the community and the complex interactions that occur between these disorders have emerged as a significant clinical, public health, and research issue. The authors examined (a) the rates of comorbid SAD-AUD, (b) the impact of comorbid SAD-AUD on outcomes targeting social anxiety disorder, and (c) the effect of pretreatment alcohol consumption and alcohol use before, during, and after social situations on a composite measure of social anxiety in 172 adults presenting with social anxiety disorder. There was low incidence of AUD in this sample of individuals with SAD. Results indicated that alcohol consumption did not lead to worse social anxiety symptoms; however, alcohol use before and during social situations was associated with more severe social anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that the function of alcohol use may be more important than the overall level of alcohol use and has implications for treatment.

scholarly journals Coping with negative mental images in social anxiety disorder: Investigating the potential benefits of image morphing

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 204380871881375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanja Vidovic ◽  
Mia Romano ◽  
David A. Moscovitch
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Image Morphing ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Potential Benefits

Negative mental imagery contributes to symptom maintenance in social anxiety disorder (SAD). Here, we investigated the effects of image morphing, a brief mental strategy designed to facilitate access to positive images. Participants with SAD and healthy control (HC) participants were randomly assigned to receive either image morphing or supportive counseling. Although initial training and 1-week daily practice were successful in equipping morphing participants across groups with the required skill, those assigned to morphing failed to demonstrate differential improvements in positive affect, negative affect, or self-perception relative to control participants during a subsequent social stress task. Ancillary analyses revealed that the number of positive details contained in retrieved or morphed images prior to the task significantly predicted the level of positive affect reported after the task, but this effect was observed only for HC participants. We discuss the need for future research to refine innovative imagery-based psychotherapeutic strategies for social anxiety.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Clinical Global Impression Scale among individuals with social anxiety disorder

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. I. ZAIDER ◽  
R. G. HEIMBERG ◽  
D. M. FRESCO ◽  
F. R. SCHNEIER ◽  
M. R. LIEBOWITZ
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Clinical Global Impression ◽  
Severity Of Illness ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Clinical Global Impression Scale ◽  
Additional Variance

Background. The clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) is commonly used as a primary outcome measure in studies evaluating the efficacy of treatments for anxiety disorders. The current study evaluated the psychometric properties and predictors of clinicians' ratings on an adapted version of the CGI among individuals with social anxiety disorders.Method. An independent assessor administered the CGI Severity of Illness and Improvement ratings to 123 patients at baseline and the subset of treated patients again mid- and post-treatment.Results. Improvement ratings were strongly related to both concurrent Severity of Illness and changes in Severity of Illness ratings from baseline. Additionally, both CGI ratings were positively correlated with both self-report and clinician-administered measures of social anxiety, depression, impairment and quality of life. Measures of social anxiety symptoms accounted for a large portion of the variance in Severity of Illness ratings, with significant additional variance accounted for by measures of impairment and depression. Changes in social anxiety symptoms from baseline accounted for significant variance in Improvement ratings, but no significant additional variance was accounted for by changes in impairment and depressive symptoms.Conclusions. Our findings support the utility of the CGI as an index of global severity and symptom-specific improvement among individuals with social anxiety disorder.

Evidence of Delayed, Recursive Benefits of Self-Affirmation on Anxiety in Socially Anxious University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 534-561
Author(s):  
Karen O'Brien ◽  
Alyse Sukovieff ◽  
Edward A. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
University Students ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Writing Task

Introduction: Persons with social anxiety disorder (SAD) often experience social interactions as threatening and commonly avoid them or perform poorly in them (Asher et al., 2017). Self-affirmation is an intervention shown to help individuals engage effectively in situations they perceive as threatening (Sherman & Hartson, 2011). We hypothesized that self-affirmation would allow socially anxious individuals to participate in more social activities, do so more effectively, and with less stress and anxiety. Methods: Following completion of baseline measures, 75 socially anxious university students were randomly assigned to complete a self-affirming or control writing task. They subsequently completed the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G), and received SAD psychoeducation designed to promote social engagement over the coming month, after which they were reassessed on baseline measures of social anxiety. Results Self-affirmation demonstrated no benefit at the time of engagement in the TSST-G. However, at follow-up, self-affirmed students reported significantly less discomfort, anxiety, and distress related to a variety of social behaviors as well as more engagement in those behaviors, relative to baseline, compared with non-affirmed students. Moreover, significantly more affirmed than non-affirmed participants reported clinically significant reductions in symptoms of SAD at follow-up. Discussion These results help to broaden our conceptualization of self-affirmation and provide support for its potential utility in treatment for those with SAD.

The Effect of Rumination and Reappraisal on Social Anxiety Symptoms During Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faith A. Brozovich ◽  
Philippe Goldin ◽  
Ihno Lee ◽  
Hooria Jazaieri ◽  
Richard G. Heimberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral

scholarly journals The Prevalence and Correlates of Social Anxiety Symptoms among People with Schizophrenia in Ethiopia: An Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Boki Kibru ◽  
Getachew Tesfaw ◽  
Demeke Demilew ◽  
Endalamaw Salelew
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background. The comorbidity of social anxiety disorder is very common in schizophrenia patients and affects almost all age groups. This social anxiety disorder negatively impacts the quality of life, medication adherence, and treatment outcomes of people with schizophrenia. It is not well recognized in clinical settings. Therefore, assessing social anxiety symptoms and its associated factors was significant to early intervention and management of schizophrenia patients in Ethiopia. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Data collectors randomly recruited 423 schizophrenic patients by using the systematic sampling technique. A face-to-face interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The standardized Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) was employed to assess individual social anxiety symptoms. We computed bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regressions to identify factors associated with social anxiety symptoms. Statistical significance was declared at p<0.05. Results. The prevalence of social anxiety symptoms was 36.2% (95% CI: 31.50, 40.80). Male sex (AOR=2.03, 95% CI: 1.20, 3.44), age of onset of schizophrenia (AOR=1.91, 95% CI:1.17, 3.12), positive symptoms (AOR=0.75, 95% CI:0.67, 0.83), depression/anxiety symptoms (AOR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.41), number of hospitalizations (AOR=2.80, 95% CI:1.32, 5.80), and suicidal ideation (AOR=0.44, 95% CI: 0.26, 0.74) were factors significantly associated with social anxiety symptoms at p<0.001, whereas poor social support (AOR=5.23, 95% CI:2.03, 14.70) and suicide attempts (AOR=1.93, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.26) were statistically associated with social anxiety symptoms at p<0.01. Conclusion. The prevalence of social anxiety symptoms among schizophrenia patients was found to be high. Timely treatment of positive and depression/anxiety symptoms and suicide risk assessments and interventions need to be done to manage the problems.

scholarly journals Altered cortical-amygdala coupling in social anxiety disorder during the anticipation of giving a public speech

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 1521-1529 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. R. Cremers ◽  
I. M. Veer ◽  
P. Spinhoven ◽  
S. A. R. B. Rombouts ◽  
T. Yarkoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Functional Integration ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Connectivity Pattern ◽  
Public Speech ◽  
Fmri Session

BackgroundSevere stress in social situations is a core symptom of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Connectivity between the amygdala and cortical regions is thought to be important for emotion regulation, a function that is compromised in SAD. However, it has never been tested if and how this connectivity pattern changes under conditions of stress-inducing social evaluative threat. Here we investigate changes in cortical-amygdala coupling in SAD during the anticipation of giving a public speech.MethodTwenty individuals with SAD and age-, gender- and education-matched controls (n = 20) participated in this study. During the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session, participants underwent three ‘resting-state’ fMRI scans: one before, one during, and one after the anticipation of giving a public speech. Functional connectivity between cortical emotion regulation regions and the amygdala was investigated.ResultsCompared to controls, SAD participants showed reduced functional integration between cortical emotion regulation regions and the amygdala during the public speech anticipation. Moreover, in SAD participants cortical-amygdala connectivity changes correlated with social anxiety symptom severity.ConclusionsThe distinctive pattern of cortical-amygdala connectivity suggests less effective cortical-subcortical communication during social stress-provoking situations in SAD.

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