Social Phobia

Predicting attendance and expectations for group therapy.

“…For clients who are socially anxious, engaging other group members is difficult. As early as adolescence, social phobia is associated with significant impairment, including difficulties with intimate relationships, poor school performance, and secondary alcohol use (Albano, DiBartotlo, Heimberg, & Barlow, 1995; Scholing & Emmelkamp, 1990). Clients with social inhibition who are being asked to actively disclose and respond to others may present a pattern of anxious avoidance toward the group experience, even as they learn to gain comfort in the group modality.…”

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy and Sertraline versus a Waitlist Control Group for Anxiety Disorders in Older Adults

“…CBT consisted of relaxation training, cognitive restructuring, and exposure. Treatment protocols for CBT were derived from prevailing treatment protocols of panic disorder, 20 GAD, 21 and social phobia 22 in mixed-age populations, which were adapted for use with older adults (our CBT protocol consisted of 15 sessions, allowing more attention to psychoeducation and repeated explanation and revision of new information and newly learned coping skills).…”

Parental factors associated with social anxiety: Methodological limitations and suggestions for integrated behavioral research.

“…Children who display impairment in their social functioning, but are not “diagnosable” (i.e., sub-clinical population), would likely benefit from therapeutic intervention. In fact, individuals with social phobia and APD often describe their social anxiety and isolation as lifelong and persistent (Arbel & Stravynski, 1991; Scholing & Emmelkamp, 1990). Treating children when they first begin to exhibit socially anxious behaviors may prevent the occurrence of more severe symptomatology and long-term consequences (e.g., lack of career advancement).…”

“…Persons who experience difficulty in social situations often demonstrate impairment in their academic, occupational, and/or social functioning. Some common problems reported by socially anxious children, as well as adults who were socially anxious as children, include lower school grades due to nonparticipation in classroom discussions, fear of joining clubs or athletic teams, lack of career advancement, difficulty establishing intimate relationships, depression, and alcohol use prior to and/or during social events to reduce tension (Caspi, Elder, & Bern, 1988; Kupersmidt & Patterson, 1991; Scholing & Emmelkamp, 1990; Turner, Beidel, Dancu, & Keys, 1986). To prevent the development of socially anxious behaviors, it is crucial to identify those environmental factors that lead to appropriate childhood social relations, and those that lead to deficient social competence and/or to experiencing anxiety in social situations.…”