Cognitive predictors of treatment outcome for exposure therapy: do changes in self-efficacy, self-focused attention, and estimated social costs predict symptom improvement in social anxiety disorder?

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Cognitions play an important role in the development and maintenance of social anxiety disorder (SAD). METHODS:To investigate whether changes in cognitions during the first six sessions of exposure therapy are associated with treatment outcome, we assessed reported self-focused attention, self-efficacy in social situations, and estimated social costs in 60 participants (Mage?=?36.9?years) diagnosed with SAD who received in vivo or virtual reality exposure therapy. RESULTS:Patients demonstrating a greater decrease in estimated social costs during treatment reported greater improvement of their social anxiety symptoms following both forms of exposure therapy. While changes in self-focused attention and social self-efficacy during treatment were significantly associated with treatment outcome when examined individually, these changes did not significantly predict symptom improvement beyond social costs. CONCLUSIONS:Changes in estimated social costs during treatment are associated with improvement of social anxiety symptoms after exposure therapy. Future research needs to further investigate estimated social costs as a predictor in relation to other cognitive variables. TRIAL REGISTRATION:NCT01746667 ; www.clinicaltrials.gov, November 2012, retrospectively registered.

SUBMITTER: Kampmann IL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6387557 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature