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Internet-based treatment for social phobia: a randomized controlled trial.
Thomas Berger1, Eléonore Hohl, Franz Caspar
1University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland. thomas.berger@ptp.unibe.ch
Journal of Clinical Psychology
|May 14, 2009
Summary
Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy significantly reduced social anxiety in a Swiss study. This online treatment with minimal therapist contact proved effective and well-accepted by participants.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Digital Health
Background:
- Social phobia is a prevalent anxiety disorder impacting social functioning.
- Effective and accessible treatments are needed for social phobia.
- Internet-based interventions offer a potential solution for widespread access.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of an Internet-based cognitive-behavioral treatment (ICBT) for social phobia.
- To compare ICBT with minimal therapist contact to a waiting-list control group.
- To assess user acceptance and clinical significance of improvement.
Main Methods:
- Randomized controlled trial with 52 participants diagnosed with social phobia.
- Intervention group received ICBT with minimal email therapist contact.
- Control group was placed on a waiting list.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements in social anxiety measures and general symptomatology in the ICBT group.
- Large within-group effect sizes for primary (d=0.82) and secondary (d=1.04) outcomes.
- 58% of the ICBT group achieved clinically significant improvement versus 20% in the control group.
Conclusions:
- Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy with minimal therapist contact is a promising and effective treatment for social phobia.
- The intervention demonstrated high user acceptance.
- This approach offers a viable alternative to traditional face-to-face therapy.
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01:22Behavior Therapy
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01:26Modeling in Therapy
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01:30Generalized Anxiety Disorder
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