School-Based Behavioral Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents: Results of a Pilot Study

doi:10.1097/00004583-200107000-00012

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Volume 40, Issue 7, July 2001, Pages 780-786

https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200107000-00012 Get rights and content

ABSTRACT

Objective

To provide preliminary estimates of feasibility and effectiveness for school-based behavioral treatment in adolescents with social anxiety disorder.

Method

Six adolescents with social anxiety disorder were treated in a 14-session group treatment program conducted at their school. Assessments were conducted at baseline and after treatment.

Results

All participants were classified as treatment responders (markedly or moderately improved). Half of the participants did not meet diagnostic criteria for social phobia after treatment. Clinician severity ratings, as measured by the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children for DSM-IV: Child Version and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (LSAS-CA), decreased significantly after intervention, with effect sizes of 2.5 and 1.8, respectively. All LSAS-CA scale scores decreased significantly after treatment. Self-reported social phobia symptoms on the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children were not significantly reduced. Fear and avoidance ratings of the 10 most feared situations significantly decreased after treatment, with effect sizes of 1.5 for anxiety and 2.1 for avoidance.

Conclusions

This study provides preliminary support for the promise of school-based behavioral intervention for treating social phobia in adolescents. The school environment may be a rich and innovative setting for implementation of behavioral treatment because this is the setting where adolescents with social phobia endure the most distress.

Section snippets

Participants

A workshop on social phobia was offered to teachers in a suburban high school composed of 1,300 students from a suburban middle-class area in Long Island, New York. After the workshop, teachers were asked to nominate students who appeared to correspond to the description of social phobia. Forty-six students were nominated. Parents of nominated students received telephone calls to explain the intervention program. Consent forms were mailed to their homes. Of the 46 parents, 11 (24%) returned

Independent Assessment Measures

At termination, all participants were classified as treatment responders (rated as markedly or moderately improved) on the Liebowitz Social Phobic Disorders Change Form. Three participants (subjects 3, 5, and 6) were rated as markedly improved (“Obviously improved and no more than mildly ill on corresponding severity scale; no longer meets social phobia diagnosis”). The other three participants (subjects 1, 2, and 4) were rated as moderately improved (“Definitely improved with a meaningful

DISCUSSION

This pilot study was an initial attempt to implement a behavioral, school-based intervention for adolescents with social phobia. Six adolescents with social phobia received 14 sessions of group treatment focused on education, realistic thinking, social skills training, and exposure. Results provide preliminary support for the promise of school-based behavioral intervention for treating social phobia in teenagers. All participants were classified as treatment responders (markedly or moderately

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: Dr. Masia was supported by training grant MH16434 (to Dr. David Shaffer), Research Training in Child Psychiatry, NIMH, Bethesda, MD. This study was funded by a pilot grant from the Child Psychiatry Intervention Research Center (MH60570). The authors thank Anne Marie Albano, Deborah Beidel, and Laura Mufson for their consultation on this project.

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ArticlesSchool-Based Behavioral Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents: Results of a Pilot Study

ABSTRACT

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusions

Section snippets

Participants

Independent Assessment Measures

DISCUSSION

Behav Ther

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

Behav Ther

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

Children and adolescents: assessment and treatment

Shy Children, Phobic Adults: Nature and Treatment of Social Phobia

Assessment of childhood social phobia: construct, convergent, and discriminative validity of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C)

Psychol Assess

A new instrument to assess childhood social anxiety and phobia: the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children

Psychol Assess

Behavioral treatment of childhood social phobia

J Consult Clin Psychol

Age at onset of selected mental disorders in five community populations

Arch Gen Psychiatry

Psychometric properties of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale

Psychol Med

Cognitive-behavioral group therapy vs phenelzine therapy for social phobia

Arch Gen Psychiatry

Articles
School-Based Behavioral Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents: Results of a Pilot Study