In today’s article we will analyze a study conducted in 2011 , which evaluated the effectiveness of the treatment of social phobia in a single exposure session , according to a cognitive behavioral theoretical basis .
Social Phobia: What is it?
We talk about social phobia when the person feels a strong apprehension even at the mere idea of social situations, to the point of avoiding them . Those who suffer from social phobia have the constant fear of making a bad impression and being judged negatively by others.
In the DSM-5 it is described as “marked and persistent fear of facing social situations or performances in which one may be exposed to the judgment of others”.
Theoretical basis of the study
The study starts from a cognitive behavioral theoretical framework. According to this model, anxiety symptoms and related avoidance are influenced by two factors: the evaluation of a situation as dangerous, and the perception of not having sufficient resources to deal with it.
Avoidance thus becomes an attempted dysfunctional solution , which will lead the person to reinforce beliefs about the dangerousness of the situation and the inability to face it.
Those who suffer from social phobia and fear the judgment of others will be selectively led to notice and remember only events that confirm failures and bad impressions. This thought lowers the person’s expectations of success and fuels the already present levels of anxiety.
Exposure to overcome phobias
Exposure treatments have been shown to be effective in overcoming phobias . Exposure allows the person to change the beliefs that led to avoidance, through experience. The anxious person experiences the fact that the feared event does not occur, consequently modifying the cognitive patterns that kept the phobia alive.
The study
The study authors hypothesized that a single three-hour session of group activities , specifically public speaking, would decrease levels of fear of public speaking . They also hypothesized that this decrease in anxiety about public speaking would positively impact overall social anxiety.
Thirty-two college students with social anxiety participated in the study . Each participant took part in 13 mini-public speaking activities in groups of approximately 7 people , for a total duration of 3 hours of work.
Results
The results of the study were measured through tests administered before the activity, immediately after, and one month later. The public speaking activities contributed to an effective reduction in public speaking anxiety, and social anxiety in general .
23 out of 32 people took part in the follow-up one month later, demonstrating the maintenance of the positive effects of that single session, probably due to the fact that the participants had been assigned tasks to carry out independently.
Conclusions
This study suggests that a single session can bring benefits to those suffering from social anxiety and that therefore long treatments are not necessary to overcome very disabling problems.
Vanessa Pergher Team Psychologist of the Italian Center for Single Session Therapy
Bibliography
- Hindo and AA Gonza´lez-Prendes, One-Session Exposure Treatment for Social Anxiety With Specific Fear of Public Speaking, Research on Social Work Practice21(5) 528-538