Social Anxiety Disorder: An Update on Diagnostics, Epidemiology, Etiology, Assessment, Treatment, Unanswered Questions, and Future Directions

Beidel, Déborah C.; Le, Thien-An; Willis, Emy

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-813004-9.00010-4

Cited by 7 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 122 publications

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“…SAD, a persistent fear of social situations due to the potential for negative evaluation or embarrassment, is the most common anxiety disorder nationally (Kessler et al, 2005), with typical onset during late childhood or adolescence (Grant et al, 2005;Knappe et al, 2015). Untreated, SAD is persistent and associated with significant functional impairment, as well as the onset of depression and additional comorbid psychiatric conditions (Beidel et al, 2019;Beidel & Turner, 2006). SAD symptoms are maintained via avoidance or limited engagement with feared stimuli and heightened attention to threat (e.g., negative evaluations and judgements); maladaptive anxiety is perpetuated through the absence of corrective learning about the true threat level of the situation and one's ability to tolerate discomfort (Rapee & Heimberg, 1997).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Treating Social Anxiety in an Era of Social Distancing: Adapting Exposure Therapy for Youth During COVID-19

Khan

Bilek

Tomlinson

et al. 2021

Cognitive and Behavioral Practice

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The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused widespread disruption to our traditional way of life and mental health therapy has not been spared. A combination of increased anxiety, diminished social opportunities, and the shift to telehealth service provision presents particular challenges for the treatment of social anxiety in youth, which relies heavily on exposures to social situations with peers, adults, or other feared social stimuli. The objective of this commentary is to provide guidance to clinicians working with youth with social anxiety on how to maintain ethical, evidence-informed provision of exposure therapy in light of these unusual circumstances. We first present an overview of how COVID-19 may uniquely impact youth with social anxiety and highlight the importance of continuing to provide exposure-based treatments during this time. We then discuss guiding principles for delivering exposure therapy during COVID-19. We focus on providing practical examples of how common social anxiety exposures can be adapted and delivered successfully through telehealth while abiding by COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. Finally, we discuss key recommendations to assist clinicians in moving treatment forward while considering changing safety guidelines pertaining to COVID-19.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Treating Social Anxiety in an Era of Social Distancing: Adapting Exposure Therapy for Youth During COVID-19

Khan

Bilek

Tomlinson

et al. 2021

Cognitive and Behavioral Practice

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“…Although most descriptive and controlled studies using diagnostic interviews have found high rates of comorbidity between SM and SAD (61–100%; Chavira et al, 2007 ; Manassis et al, 2007 ), there have been studies with low rates of SAD in SM (⩽18%; Carbone et al, 2010 ; Edison et al, 2011 ; Nowakowski et al, 2011 ). Children with SAD may also show speech problems, such as longer speech latency, inappropriate tone or low voice volume, and reduced spontaneous speech ( Beidel et al, 2019 ). Whether speaking behavior differentiates the two conditions has not been evaluated until the recent publication of the Frankfurt Scale of Selective Mutism (FSSM; Gensthaler et al, 2018 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Selective Mutism Questionnaire: Data from typically developing children and children with selective mutism

Oerbeck

Øvergaard

Bergman³

et al. 2020

Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry

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The core symptom of the anxiety disorder selective mutism (SM) is absence of speech in specific situations, such as at school. The most commonly used standardized instruments to assess speaking behavior are the parent-rated Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ) and the teacher-rated School Speech Questionnaire (SSQ), scored from 0 to 3, indicating that speaking behavior never, seldom, often, and always occur. They were developed to assess severity of mutism and potential effects of treatment. However, prospective data on speaking behavior in typically developing children (TDs) are missing in the literature. The main aim of this study was to present data from TDs over time with previously reported data from children treated for SM, as a comparison. Participants were 64 children aged 3–9 years, 32 TDs who were a matched control group to 32 children with SM. At baseline, the mean SMQ and SSQ scores were ⩾2.5 in TDs and 0.5 in children with SM. The TDs did not show significant changes over time, while significantly increased speech was found in children with SM after treatment. Thus, our findings support the use of the SMQ/SSQ to assess baseline SM severity and to evaluate potential treatment effects in future studies.

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“…In a group context, this method may use role-playing as a behavioural observation strategy, during which an individual with social anxiety disorder and a peer may perform role-playing tasks using scripted scenarios. It is also possible to include unstructured peer interaction tasks [193]. However, finding appropriate peers in terms of age, availability for needed training, and interaction is a challenge for conducting valid behavioural assessment tests [193].…”

Section: Social Robots As Screening/diagnostic Agentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also possible to include unstructured peer interaction tasks [193]. However, finding appropriate peers in terms of age, availability for needed training, and interaction is a challenge for conducting valid behavioural assessment tests [193].…”

Section: Social Robots As Screening/diagnostic Agentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Applications of Social Robots in Robot-Assisted Interventions for Social Anxiety

Rasouli

Gupta

Nilsen

et al. 2022

Int J of Soc Robotics

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Social anxiety disorder or social phobia is a condition characterized by debilitating fear and avoidance of different social situations. We provide an overview of social anxiety and evidence-based behavioural and cognitive treatment approaches for this condition. However, treatment avoidance and attrition are high in this clinical population, which calls for innovative approaches, including computer-based interventions, that could minimize barriers to treatment and enhance treatment effectiveness. After reviewing existing assistive technologies for mental health interventions, we provide an overview of how social robots have been used in many clinical interventions. We then propose to integrate social robots in conventional behavioural and cognitive therapies for both children and adults who struggle with social anxiety. We categorize the different therapeutic roles that social robots can potentially play in activities rooted in conventional therapies for social anxiety and oriented towards symptom reduction, social skills development, and improvement in overall quality of life. We discuss possible applications of robots in this context through four scenarios. These scenarios are meant as ‘food for thought’ for the research community which we hope will inspire future research. We discuss risks and concerns for using social robots in clinical practice. This article concludes by highlighting the potential advantages as well as limitations of integrating social robots in conventional interventions to improve accessibility and standard of care as well as outlining future steps in relation to this research direction. Clearly recognizing the need for future empirical work in this area, we propose that social robots may be an effective component in robot-assisted interventions for social anxiety, not replacing, but complementing the work of clinicians. We hope that this article will spark new research, and research collaborations in the highly interdisciplinary field of robot-assisted interventions for social anxiety.

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Social Anxiety Disorder: An Update on Diagnostics, Epidemiology, Etiology, Assessment, Treatment, Unanswered Questions, and Future Directions

Cited by 7 publications

References 122 publications

Treating Social Anxiety in an Era of Social Distancing: Adapting Exposure Therapy for Youth During COVID-19

Treating Social Anxiety in an Era of Social Distancing: Adapting Exposure Therapy for Youth During COVID-19

The Selective Mutism Questionnaire: Data from typically developing children and children with selective mutism

Potential Applications of Social Robots in Robot-Assisted Interventions for Social Anxiety

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