A 5-year follow-up of internet-based cognitive behavior therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder

• Background: Internet-basedcognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has been shown to be a promising method todisseminate cognitive behavior therapy for social anxiety disorder (SAD).Several trials have demonstrated that Internet-based CBT can be effective forSAD in the shorter term. However, the long-term effects of Internet-based CBTfor SAD are less well known. Objective: Our objectivewas to investigate the effect of Internet-based CBT for SAD 5 years aftercompleted treatment. Method: We conducted a 5-yearfollow-up study of 80 persons with SAD who had undergone Internet-based CBT.The assessment comprised a diagnostic interview and self-report questionnaires.The main outcome measure was the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale-Self-Report (LSAS-SR). Additional measures of social anxiety were the Social InteractionAnxiety Scale (SIAS) and the Social Phobia Scale (SPS). Attrition rates werelow: 89% (71/80) of the participants completed the diagnostic interview and 80% (64/80) responded to the questionnaires. Results: Mixed-effect models analysisshowed a significant effect of time on the three social anxiety measures,LSAS-SR, SIAS, and SPS (F3,98-102 = 16.05 -29.20, P < .001)indicating improvement. From baseline to 5-year follow-up, participants’ meanscores on the LSAS-SR were reduced from 71.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]66.1-76.5) to 40.3 (95% CI 35.2 - 45.3). The effect sizes of the LSAS-SR were large (Cohen’s d range 1.30 - 1.40, 95% CI 0.77 - 1.90). Improvementsgained at the 1-year follow-up were sustained 5 years after completedtreatment. Conclusions: Internet-basedCBT for SAD is a treatment that can result in large and enduring effects. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.govNCT01145690; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01145690 (Archived byWebCite athttp://www.webcitation.org/5ygRxDLfK)

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Internet; cognitive behavior therapy

anxiety disorders

social anxiety disorder

5-year follow-up

Psychology

Psykologi

Psychology

psykologi

SOCIAL SCIENCES

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