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 (M_age = 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 sig

SUBMITTER: Kampmann IL 

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

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature