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1
Cowart, Maria Jane Whitmore. "Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder in Youth: Are They Distinguishable?" Diss., Virginia Tech, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/37645.
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Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is defined by persistent, irrational anxiety in social situations while generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive worry unrelated to any specific situation. These two disorders share some features and are frequently comorbid in children and adults. The current study sought to examine this comorbidity and compare the disorders on a number of dimensions in a clinical sample of children and adolescents. It was hypothesized that SAD would be accompanied by higher levels of social anxiety and behavioral inhibition and lower levels of family expressiveness and social functioning than GAD. GAD was hypothesized to be accompanied by higher levels of worry, physiological symptoms, and anxiety sensitivity and lower levels of school functioning as compared to SAD. Youth with both disorders were hypothesized to function more poorly on all dimensions as compared to either disorder alone. Participants were drawn from a sample of 397 (137 female) youth who underwent psychoeducational assessment. A series of analyses of variance, discriminant function analyses, and factor analyses were performed using the entire sample, and repeated by gender and age group. Results indicated youth with GAD had higher levels of harm avoidance as compared to youth with social anxiety disorder. However, the diagnostic groups did not differ on other features. Moreover, results of factor and discriminant function analyses did not distinguish between the two groups. The pattern of results was similar when examined for gender and age, although some differences emerged. Overall, results suggest SAD and GAD overlap significantly in children, with less overlap in adolescents. This raises questions regarding the validity of current child anxiety taxonomies. Future research should further examine this phenomenon, including longitudinal samples and a wider range of diagnoses.Ph. D.
2
Plasencia, Melissa Leili. "Safety behaviours and social anxiety disorder." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/24201.
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Two studies examine the validity of a modified version of the Social Behaviour Questionnaire (SBQ; Clark, et al. 1995), an unpublished measure of safety behaviours used by people with social anxiety. Study 1 investigated the underlying structure and psychometric properties of the SBQ in a sample of 269 undergraduate students. Results indicate the SBQ subdivides into two categories of safety behaviours: avoidance and self-monitoring. Study 2 replicated these results in a sample of 62 socially anxious individuals from the community.
Differential effects of these categories of behaviours on the interpersonal relationship were
examined in the community sample using a controlled laboratory social interaction task.
Standard multiple regression procedures indicate that avoidant behaviours are negatively
associated with likability of participants, whereas self-monitoring behaviours were not
significantly associated with likability.
3
Hattingh, Coenraad Jacobus. "Neurobiological aspects of social anxiety disorder." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/10865.
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This thesis investigates the functional neuroanatomy of SAD [Social Anxiety Disorder] using an activation likelihood-estimate meta-analysis (ALE meta-analysis), and explores the structural basis of SAD using a cortical thickness and subcortical gray matter volume analysis.
4
Flynn, Jessica Jane. "Daily Fear in Social Anxiety Disorder." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1470046109.
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Egic, Milica. "Social anxiety disorder : SSRI vs. placebo." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för biovetenskap, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-20230.
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Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by fear and avoidance of social interactions and situations in which an individual is being the focus of attention. This current thesis aims to examine the efficacy of pharmacological treatment, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in individuals with a generalized social anxiety disorder (gSAD) in comparison with placebo (no active medication). In this systematic review, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for relevant research regarding the efficacy of the SSRI medication (paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine and escitalopram) in comparison with placebo. Sixteen articles were included in this analysis. Results demonstrated that SSRI medication has greater efficacy in comparison with placebo both in short- and long-term time, prevent relapse in the long-term treatment of SAD and had a beneficial effect on different areas of individuals life's such as work, performance, romantic relationships etc.
6
Yngve, Adam. "Resilience against social anxiety : The role of social networks in social anxiety disorder." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för beteendevetenskap och lärande, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-131140.
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Resilience refers to the capacity to quickly return to normal levels of functioning in the face of adversity. This capacity has previously been linked to social support. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of social networks in the association between resilience and social anxiety in a clinical group with social anxiety disorder (n = 41) and a control group of university students (n = 40). The results showed that controls were significantly more resilient than the clinical group. Controls had significantly larger, more diverse and active social networks than the clinical group. Resilience was negatively associated with social anxiety in both groups. In the clinical group, there was a significant partial mediation effect of resilience on social anxiety through the size of the social network, a x b = –0.33, 95% CI [–0.718, –0.111]. Potential clinical applications of these results were discussed.
7
Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich. "The many faces of social anxiety disorder." Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2013. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-88859.
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Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders, affecting 7-13% of subjects in the community at some time in their lives. Despite being eminently treatable, it remains largely under-recognised and, therefore, undertreated. The disorder is characterized by a fear of scrutiny by others, with sufferers experiencing excessive anxiety in social and performance situations. This excessive anxiety usually leads to avoidance behaviour that can severely affect normal daily living. With onset commonly occurring during childhood or adolescence, social anxiety disorder may disrupt normal patterns of development of social and personal relationships, often having a long-term impact on emotional stability in social or working life. If left untreated, the course of social anxiety disorder is frequently complicated with comorbid conditions, particularly major depression or substance abuse. This review assesses the size of the clinical problem by evaluating current and lifetime prevalence estimates, age of onset, risk factors and evolution of the clinical course; thereby providing the rationale for early recognition and prompt treatment.
8
Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich. "The many faces of social anxiety disorder." Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000. https://tud.qucosa.de/id/qucosa%3A26036.
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Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders, affecting 7-13% of subjects in the community at some time in their lives. Despite being eminently treatable, it remains largely under-recognised and, therefore, undertreated. The disorder is characterized by a fear of scrutiny by others, with sufferers experiencing excessive anxiety in social and performance situations. This excessive anxiety usually leads to avoidance behaviour that can severely affect normal daily living. With onset commonly occurring during childhood or adolescence, social anxiety disorder may disrupt normal patterns of development of social and personal relationships, often having a long-term impact on emotional stability in social or working life. If left untreated, the course of social anxiety disorder is frequently complicated with comorbid conditions, particularly major depression or substance abuse. This review assesses the size of the clinical problem by evaluating current and lifetime prevalence estimates, age of onset, risk factors and evolution of the clinical course; thereby providing the rationale for early recognition and prompt treatment.
9
Grace, Caitlin Claire. "Daily emotional functioning in social anxiety disorder." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2020. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/23c87a3ccf87b7ce7728c9888ab2357b6717eec01a257150bb8e67fdb20452a0/16161055/Grace_2020_Daily_emotional_functioning_in_social_anxiety_Redacted.pdf.
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Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is characterised by fear or anxiety around potential judgement, scrutiny and negative evaluation by others in social situations. For those with the disorder, social engagement can lead to considerable distress and functional impairment in daily life. Therefore, how individuals with SAD respond to stress, specifically social stress, is of particular importance to the understanding and treatment of the disorder. Much of the existing SAD research has been conducted in the laboratory setting, which provides optimal experimental control but offers little insight into how the disorder plays out in daily life. The symptoms of SAD are context-dependent and fluctuate over time, making them difficult to assess realistically in the laboratory or using retrospective reporting. Ambulatory assessment could deepen our understanding of the symptoms and experiences of those with SAD through frequent assessments in their naturally occurring environment. However, it is difficult to capture how individuals with SAD respond to social stressors using a traditional ambulatory assessment design, as SAD is associated with avoidance of such situations in daily life. This thesis examined the acute social stress response of those with SAD in daily life. A standardised lab-induced social stressor was embedded within an ambulatory assessment design to study the effect of acute social stress on naturalistic subjective and physiological stress responding among individuals with SAD (n = 40) and healthy controls (n = 41). After completing two days of baseline daily life assessment, participants were informed that they would complete a social stress task (the Trier Social Stress Test; TSST) in two days’ time. Following the TSST, participants continued with daily life assessment for an additional two days. This distinguished the anticipatory (days prior to TSST), acute (during the TSST protocol) and recovery (days after TSST) phases of stress responding. Subjective responses were assessed using a smartphone app called SEMA and physiological responses were collected on three days (once during each phase) through ambulatory saliva sampling. The first empirical study of this thesis (Study 1, Chapter 6) reports on the acute social stress response to the TSST assessed in the lab, compared between individuals with SAD versus healthy controls. The second large scale empirical study (Study 2, Chapter 7) reports the results of naturalistic responding to the TSST in daily life, captured using ambulatory assessment, in the same participants. Results from the two empirical studies demonstrated that overall individuals with SAD reported a significantly worse experience across all measures of affect, self-esteem and threatawareness when compared to healthy controls. Between group comparison during the anticipation of social stress in daily life found those with SAD responded with increased anxiety, reduced happiness and less appearance satisfaction, when compared to healthy controls and baseline. In response to social stress, SAD individuals responded with increased stress sensitivity in their subjective experience in the lab and outside of the lab in daily life, seen in the increased anxiety and anger, reduced happiness and less appearance satisfaction reported during the recovery from a social stressor, compared to healthy controls. However, between group comparison revealed no physiological (salivary cortisol) differences were observed between SAD and healthy controls in either the lab or daily life settings. Overall, this thesis adds novel information to the understanding of SAD, especially to the subjective and physiological experience of SAD in daily life in response to social stress. This thesis supports models of SAD that highlight cognitive, psychological and behavioural factors in the aetiology and maintenance of the disorder. Lastly, this thesis provides a valuable source in the form of a laboratory manual (see Chapter 5) to ease the application of implementing the TSST by other researchers.
10
Fällmark, Amanda. "Social anxiety disorder : Amygdala activation and connectivity." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för biovetenskap, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-20176.
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Social anxiety disorder (SAD) interferes with everyday life. It can, for instance, hinder careers, relationships, and leisure time. It is a common anxiety disorder that was neglected for decades. SAD individuals crave and fear social interactions simultaneously, leading to isolation in our highly social world. Therefore, research surrounding these kinds of disorders is essential. This systematic review has focused on the neural aspects and differences between SAD and healthy controls surrounding amygdala activation and connectivity. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies conducted using social and emotional tasks were included. Findings include increased amygdala activation to fearful faces and words and a positive correlation between amygdala activation and symptom severity. Further, deficits in emotion regulation and a finding of gradual habituation have been found in SAD compared to healthy controls. Some limitations to this research are the small sample sizes used in the included articles and the use of both SAD and individuals with generalized SAD. The study is essential to assess future questions and directions regarding diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of SAD.
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O'Garro-Moore, Jared K. "AN ETIOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF BIPOLAR DISORDER-ANXIETY DISORDER COMORBIDITY: THE ROLE OF ANXIETY SENSITIVITY AND TRAIT ANXIETY." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2018. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/512695.
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PsychologyPh.D.
Little to no research has evaluated factors that explain the manifestation and maintenance of bipolar disorder-anxiety disorder (BD-AD) comorbidity. The literature has shown that disruption of social and circadian rhythms is associated with mood episode onset. This association is especially pronounced among individuals who have a sensitive behavioral approach system (BAS). Inasmuch as anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety have been associated both with BD and social rhythm disruption, it is worth examining whether anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety confer risk for mood episode onset. The aims of this project were to: 1) evaluate trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity as predictors of social rhythm disruption and BD-AD comorbidity, 2) examine social rhythm disruption (SRD) as a mediator of the association between trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity and BD-AD comorbidity status, and 3) explore behavioral approach system sensitivity in these processes as contributing to the vulnerability to BD-AD comorbidity. A sample of 156 young adults participated in a multi-wave study in which they completed diagnostic interviews, symptom measures, and life event interviews which assessed the occurrence of positive and negative life events and the degree of SRD following these events every six months. Partial support for the hypotheses was found. Initial anxiety sensitivity, but not trait anxiety, positively predicted SRD for rewarding life events and follow-up bipolar symptoms. Additionally, SRD following positive life events predicted increases in depressive symptoms, but not hypomanic symptoms. SRD mediated the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, this relationship was stronger for healthy controls than for those with a bipolar disorder (BD) diagnosis or at-risk for developing BD. Moreover, individuals with a comorbid BD-AD diagnosis tended to have greater social rhythm disruption following negative life events than BD only or healthy individuals. Unexpectedly, individuals with comorbid BD-AD did not exhibit greater anxiety sensitivity or trait anxiety. Overall, the results suggest that anxiety sensitivity is a factor that may help to identify individuals who are vulnerable to bipolar symptoms. Furthermore, SRD is a mechanism that may partially explain this relationship.
Temple University--Theses
12
Alvares, Gail Alviza. "Behavioral and autonomic inflexibility in social anxiety disorder." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/12639.
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Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a persistent and disabling disorder characterized by fears of negative evaluation and marked avoidance of social situations. Although influential psychological models have highlighted important cognitive and behavioral etiological features, none have specifically examined relationships with cardiovascular activity or decision-making as potential markers of dysfunction. Two such markers were explored in the present thesis: heart rate variability (HRV) and goal-directed behavior. Results demonstrated that although individuals with SAD exhibit decreased autonomic flexibility, this reduction did not predict changes in treatment outcome. Results also showed that impairments in goal-directed actions were characteristic of patients with SAD. In particular, this behavioral index was positively associated with symptom severity and predicted treatment outcome. The cumulative program of research presented in this thesis suggests that both autonomic and behavioral inflexibility are evident in SAD; both may therefore play a role in the etiology of the disorder and contribute to treatment outcomes. These results highlight the importance of targeted physiological and behavioral treatments, such as modifying cardiovascular disease risk factors or specific behavioral exposure therapies. Considering highly variable responses to psychological or pharmacological treatments in SAD, further investigation of the autonomic and behavioral factors in SAD may improve overall treatment outcomes.
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Hearn, Cate. "What’s the Worry with Social Anxiety? An Investigation of Worry and its Associated Cognitive Variables In Social Anxiety Disorder in Children and Adolescents." Thesis, Griffith University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365746.
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Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a chronic and pervasive disorder that is relatively prevalent in children and adolescents and is associated with numerous short and long term consequences. SAD is commonly comorbid with other mood and anxiety disorders, and in particular, with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). In fact, research suggests that pure forms of either GAD or SAD are relatively rare (Walkup et al., 2008). Worry and the cognitive variables found to be associated with it, such as intolerance of uncertainty (IU), positive and negative beliefs about worry (PBW and NBW), negative problem orientation (NPO) and cognitive avoidance (CA), feature prominently in the theoretical models of adult GAD put forward by Dugas and colleagues (Dugas, Marchand & Ladouceur, 2005; Dugas & Robichaud, 2007; Dugas et al., 2007) and Wells (1995). Empirical research has not only found evidence for the importance of these variables to GAD in adults (Boelen, Vrinssen & van Tulder, 2010; Dugas, Gosselin & Ladouceur, 2001; Freeston, Rhéaume, Letarte, Dugas & Ladouceur, 1994; Ladouceur, Blais, Freeston & Dugas, 1998; Laugesen, 2007), but also in youth (Boelenet al., 2010; Fialko, Bolton & Perrin, 2012; Holmes, Donovan, Farrell & March, 2014). Recently, the suggestion has been made that worry and some of its associated cognitive variables might not be specific to GAD, but in fact may be more transdiagnostic in nature, and that there is some, albeit limited, evidence to date supporting this supposition, particularly with adults.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Applied Psychology
Griffith Health
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Scharfstein, Lindsay. "Social Skills and Social Acceptance in Childhood Anxiety Disorders." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5860.
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The present study examined the social skills and social acceptance of children with SAD (n=20), children with GAD (n=18), and typically developing (TD) children (n=20). A multimodal assessment paradigm was employed to address three study objectives: (a) to determine whether social skills deficits are unique to children with SAD or extend to children with GAD, (b) to assess whether skills vary as a function of social context (in vivo peer interaction Wii Task versus hypothetical Social Vignette Task) and (c) to examine the relationship between anxiety diagnosis and social acceptance. Parent questionnaire data indicated that both youth with SAD and GAD experienced difficulties with assertiveness, whereas children with SAD experienced a broader range of social skills difficulties. Blinded observers' ratings during the behavioral assessment social tasks indicated that compared to children with GAD and TD children, children with SAD have deficits in social behaviors and social knowledge across settings, including speech latency, a paucity of speech, few spontaneous comments, questions and exclamations, and ineffective social responses. In addition, vocal analysis revealed that children with SAD were characterized by anxious speech patterns. By comparison, children with GAD exhibited non-anxious speech patterns and did not differ significantly from TD youth on social behaviors, with the exception of fewer spontaneous comments and questions. Lastly, children with SAD were perceived as less likeable and less socially desirable by their peers than both children with GAD and TD children. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.Ph.D.
Doctorate
Psychology
Sciences
Psychology; Clinical Psychology
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McKenna, Ian. "Cognitive behavioural therapies for social anxiety disorder (SAnD) review." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/13623.
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Background: Social anxiety disorder (SAnD) is a highly prevalent condition, characterised by an intense fear of social or performance situations where individuals worry about being negatively evaluated by others. An up to date systematic review of the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapies for SAnD is required to guide practice. Objectives: To assess the efficacy and acceptability of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) compared with treatment as usual/waiting list (TAU/WL) for individuals with SAnD. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Group (CCDAN) Controlled Trials Register and conducted supplementary searches of MEDLINE, PsycInfo, EMBASE, and international trial registers (ICTRP; ClinicalTrials.gov) in October 2011 and CINAHL in October 2012. We also searched reference lists of retrieved articles, and contacted trial authors for information on ongoing/completed trials. Selection criteria: Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials undertaken in out-patient settings, involving adults aged 18-75 years with a primary diagnosis of SAnD, assigned either to CBT or TAU/WL. Data collection and analysis Data on patients, interventions and outcomes were extracted by two review authors independently, and the Risk of bias in each study was assessed. The primary outcomes were social anxiety reduction (based on relative risk (RR) of clinical response and mean difference in symptom reduction), and treatment acceptability (based on RR of attrition). Results: Thirteen studies (715 participants) were included in the review, of which 11 studies (599 participants) contributed data to meta-analyses. Based on four studies, CBT was more effective than TAU/WL in achieving clinical response at post-treatment (RR 3.60, 95% CI 1.35 to 9.57), and on eleven studies (599 participants) it was more effective than TAU/WL in reducing symptoms of social anxiety. No significant difference was found between CBT and TAU/WL for attrition. No significant difference was demonstrated for social anxiety at follow-up and no studies examined follow-up data for clinical response or attrition. Authors' conclusions: The available evidence suggests that cognitive behavioural therapy might be effective in reducing anxiety symptoms for the short-term treatment of SAnD. However, the body of evidence comparing CBT with TAU/WL is small and heterogeneous.
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Nilzon, Kjell R. "Childhood depressive disorder social withdrawal, anxiety and familial aspects /." Göteborg, Sweden : Dept. of Psychology, Göteborg University, 1996. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/35143427.html.
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Mesa, Franklin. "Psychopathology and Functional Impairment in Adolescents with Social Anxiety Disorder." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5822.
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Although social anxiety disorder is most often diagnosed during adolescence, few investigations have examined the clinical presentation of this disorder exclusively in adolescents. Prior studies have demonstrated that some clinical features of SAD in adolescents are unique relative to younger children with the condition. Furthermore, the extant literature on daily functional impairment in this population is limited. In this investigation, multiple areas of functioning were examined in adolescents with SAD (n = 16) and normal control adolescents (n = 14): specific social skills, subjective distress and physiological reactivity during one speech performance task and one social interaction task; alcohol use and expectancies; subjective and objective quality of sleep; and daily distressing social activities. No differences were observed in sleep actigraphy, self-reported sleep difficulties, alcohol use, or alcohol expectancies. Adolescents with SAD reported greater distress during both analogue tasks relative to NC adolescents. During the speech task, adolescents with SAD exhibited significantly greater speech latency (4.42 seconds vs. 1.75 seconds) and spoke significantly less (83.09 seconds vs. 167.75 seconds) than NC adolescents. Additionally, SAD participants manifested greater skin conductance during the speech task. During the social interaction, adolescents with SAD asked significantly fewer questions (2.20 vs. 7.07) and required significantly more confederate prompts (2.33 vs. 1.14) to stimulate interaction. Finally, adolescents with SAD reported more frequent anxiety-provoking situations in their daily lives and greater avoidance of these situations, including answering questions in class, assertive communication, and interacting with a group. The findings are discussed with respect to the current understanding of alcohol use, quality of sleep, and social functioning in adolescents with SAD.M.S.
Masters
Psychology
Sciences
Psychology Clinical
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Owens, Maryann. "Does Virtual Reality Elicit Physiological Arousal in Social Anxiety Disorder." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5832.
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The present study examined the ability of a Virtual Reality (VR) public speaking task to elicit physiological arousal in adults with SAD (n=25) and Controls (n=25). A behavioral assessment paradigm was employed to address three study objectives: (a) to determine whether the VR task can elicit significant increases in physiological response over baseline resting conditions (b) to determine if individuals with SAD have a greater increase from baseline levels of physiological and self-reported arousal during the in vivo speech task as opposed to the VR speech task and (c) to determine whether individuals with SAD experience greater changes in physiological and self-reported arousal during each speech task compared to controls. Results demonstrated that the VR task was able to elicit significant increases in heart rate, skin conductance, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia, but did not elicit as much physiological or self-reported arousal as the in vivo speech task. In addition, no differences were found between groups. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.M.S.
Masters
Psychology
Sciences
Psychology Clinical
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Green-Landell, Malin. "Social Anxiety Disorder in Swedish Adolescents : Prevalence, Victimization & Development." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Barn- och ungdomspsykiatri, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-57938.
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Human beings are social creatures. Accordingly, fear of social situations can be severely disabling. Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by excessive fear of negative evaluation in social or performance situations. SAD has an early onset and often goes undetected an untreated. Descriptive studies on non‐clinical samples are required in order to find ways to prevent SAD and associated consequences. This thesis aimed at examining epidemiological variables of SAD in adolescence which is the critical period for onset of SAD. More exactly, issues of detection and prevalence, victimization and developmental course were addressed. Data was collected in four different community samples, using cross‐sectional and longitudinal designs. In the first study (n=169), psychometric evaluation of a screening questionnaire for use with adolescents was conducted. The second study (n=2128) investigated prevalence of SAD in students in grade 6‐8 (age 12‐14 years). In the third study (n=3211), the association between SAD and victimization in high‐school students (aged 17) was investigated. Finally, in the fourth study (n=350), longitudinal associations between social anxiety and depressive symptoms were investigated, with 4 waves of data from grade 7 to grade 11. Self‐reported SAD was found among 4.4% of students in grade 6‐8 and among 10.6% of high‐school students. Females reported SAD to a significantly higher degree than males in all age groups. Experiences of peer victimization, maltreatment and sexual victimization were significantly more common in those reporting SAD than in non‐cases. Social anxiety was stable over adolescence. Further, peer victimization in grade 7 predicted social anxiety that mediated subsequent depressive symptoms. In conclusion, self‐reported SAD is common in Swedish adolescents and especially in girls and older adolescents. Social anxiety is stable over adolescence and correlated with depressive symptoms over course. The high prevalence rates, stable course and mediation of depressive symptoms call for early detection and prevention of social anxiety. The relationship between victimization and SAD needs to be investigated further in controlled prospective studies on children and adolescents.
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Asnaani, Anu. "The effects of approach-avoidance modification on social anxiety disorder." Thesis, Boston University, 2013. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/12711.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University
PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you.Recent empirical studies using approach-avoidance modification have found a reduction in symptoms and relapse in individuals with substance use, achieved by modifying unhealthy approach tendencies. This raises the question as to whether the benefits of such an intervention can generalize to reduction of unhealthy avoidance tendencies as observed in social anxiety. In the current double-blind study, 43 adults (aged 18 to 53) with social anxiety disorder were randomly assigned to an active condition (implicit training to approach smiling faces) or control condition (equal approach and avoidance of smiling faces) of the Approach and Avoidance Task (a computerized joystick task) in three sessions over the span of a week. Pre- to post-assessment changes were assessed on the following outcome measures: social anxiety (Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and Social Phobia Inventory), depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II), other self-report (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State version and Social Interaction Self-Statement Test), implicit measures of attention (dot probe) and rejection (implicit association task), and behavioral approach tasks (a conversation with a stranger and an impromptu speech). There were no differences between the groups on the basis of baseline approach tendency or experimental condition, except for a strong interaction effect between baseline approach tendency and condition on latency to engage in the conversation task. Specifically, individuals with a baseline avoidance tendency in the active training condition took longer to engage in this interaction at post-test. In addition, analyses revealed that the whole sample significantly improved on both social anxiety measures, and indicated reduced subjective distress on the speech task and reduced number of negative self-statements made after both behavioral tasks. There were no changes in level of depression or in performance on the other implicit measures (i.e., dot probe and implicit association task). Finally, participants' own beliefs that they were in the active condition of the study significantly predicted lower objectively-rated anxiety during the speech at post-test, regardless of baseline social anxiety severity or actual condition. In sum, a multi-session approach-avoidance modification that trains approach towards smiling faces appears to be limited in its effectiveness for treatment of social anxiety disorder.
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Thake, Jennifer. "Does Increased Self-Compassion Improve Social Anxiety Symptomology? Results from a Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Social Anxiety Disorder." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/32593.
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Purpose: This study assessed whether a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) adapted for social anxiety disorder (SAD) led to increases in self-compassion and trait mindfulness, and whether these increases mediated change in SAD symptom severity. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to a 12-week MBI adapted for SAD (MBI-SAD, n = 21) or a wait-list control (WLC, n = 18). The MBI-SAD included aspects of the mindfulness-based stress reduction program, as well as explicit training in self-compassion and “mindful exposure”. Participants were assessed at baseline and weeks 6 and 12. Results: The MBI-SAD resulted in higher self-compassion and trait mindfulness and lower levels of social anxiety, compared to the WLC. Mediation analyses revealed that self-compassion and aspects of trait mindfulness mediated clinical response. Implications: Results suggest that self-compassion and aspects of trait mindfulness are possible mechanisms of change for the MBI-SAD. Results and their implications are discussed.
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Faria, Vanda. "Mind really does matter : The Neurobiology of Placebo-induced Anxiety Relief in Social Anxiety Disorder." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för psykologi, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-181548.
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The placebo effect, a beneficial effect attributable to a treatment containing no specific properties for the condition being treated, has been demonstrated in a variety of medical conditions. This thesis includes four studies aimed at increasing our knowledge on the neurobiology of placebo. Study I, a review of the placebo neuroimaging literature, suggested that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) may be a common site of action for placebo responses. However, because placebo neuroimaging studies in clinical disorders are largely lacking, the clinical relevance of this needs further clarification. The subsequent three empirical studies were thus designed from a clinical perspective. Using positron emission tomography (PET) these studies investigated the underlying neurobiology of sustained placebo responses in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD), a disabling psychiatric condition that nonetheless may be mitigated by placebo interventions. Study II demonstrated that serotonergic gene polymorphisms affect anxiety-induced neural activity and the resultant placebo phenotype. In particular, anxiety reduction resulting from placebo treatment was tied to the attenuating effects of the TPH2 G-703T polymorphism on amygdala activity. Study III further compared the neural response profile of placebo with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), i.e the first-line pharmacological treatment for SAD. A similar anxiety reduction was noted in responders of both treatments. PET-data further revealed that placebo and SSRI responders had similar decreases of the neural response in amygdala subregions including the left basomedial/basolateral (BM/BLA) and the right ventrolateral (VLA) sections. To clarify whether successful placebo and SSRI treatments operate via similar or distinct neuromodulatory pathways, study IV focused on the connectivity patterns between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex that may be crucial for normal emotion regulation. In responders of both treatment modalities, the left amygdala (BM/BLA) exhibited negative coupling with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the rostral ACC as well as a shared positive coupling with the dorsal ACC. This may represent shared treatment mechanisms involving improved emotion regulation and decreased rumination. This thesis constitutes a first step towards better understanding of the neurobiology of placebo in the treatment of anxiety, including the neural mechanisms that unite and segregate placebo and SSRI treatment.
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Coffman, Marika. "Structural and Functional Properties of Social Brain Networks in Autism and Social Anxiety." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/78051.
Full textAbstract:
The default mode network (DMN) is active in the absence of task demands and during self-referential thought. Considerable evidence suggests that the DMN is involved in normative aspects of social cognition, and as such, disruptions in the function of DMN would be expected in disorders characterized by alterations in social function. Consistent with this notion, work in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) has demonstrated altered activation of several core regions of the DMN relative to neurotypical controls. Despite emergent evidence for alterations within the same brain systems in SAD and ASD, as well as a behavioral continuum of social impairments, no study to date has examined what is unique and what is common to the brain systems within these disorders. Therefore, the primary aim of the current study is to precisely characterize the topology of neural connectivity within the DMN in SAD and ASD and neurotypical controls in order to test the following hypotheses through functional and structural connectivity analyses of the DMN. Our analyses demonstrate increased coavtivation of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex in ASD and SAD compared to controls, as well as over and under connectivity in structural brain connectivity in ASD. These results may reflect general deficits in social function at rest, and disorder specific alterations in structural connectivity in ASD.Master of Science
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Crawley, Sarah. "Somatic Complaints in Anxious Youth." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2011. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/155885.
Full textAbstract:
PsychologyPh.D.
Objective: This study examined (a) the distribution of physical symptoms in youth with specific primary anxiety disorders (i.e. separation anxiety disorder [SAD], generalized anxiety disorder [GAD], and social phobia [SP]) and (b) their response to treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT; 14 sessions of CBT over the course of 12 weeks), medication, combination therapy (CBT + medication), or pill placebo in a sample. Method: Anxiety disordered youth (N = 488, age 7-17) who met criteria for a primary diagnosis of GAD, SAD, and/or SP as part of the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS; Walkup et al. 2008) were included in this study. The sample was diverse and included children with comorbid secondary diagnoses. Results: The most common somatic complaints were headache, stomach pain or aches, feeling drowsy or too sleepy, head cold or sniffles, and sleeplessness. The distribution of these complaints did not differ across diagnostic groups. The number and severity of physical symptoms decreased over the course of treatment. Treatment condition, including placebo, was unrelated to the number and severity of physical symptoms posttreatment. Conclusions: Treatment of anxiety leads to a decrease in the number and severity of physical symptoms experienced in anxiety-disordered youth, irrespective of treatment type.
Temple University--Theses
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Kroytor, Anya. "Does behavioral treatment for children with social anxiety disorder change vocal characteristics?" Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/573.
Full textAbstract:
Children with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) characterized by persistent shyness and anxiety in social or performance situation, exhibit social skills deficits. These deficits include difficulty initiating conversations, maintaining eye contact, and taking turns when speaking, which in turn leads to impairments in their daily interactions and development of peer relationships (Greco, 2005; Miers, 2010). Although there are many subjective assessments for treatment outcomes for children with SAD, in order to become more thorough and effective when assessing treatment outcomes, more objective measures of actual behaviors are needed. This study uses digital vocal analysis to examine vocal parameters associated with anxiety such as pitch and volume in children with SAD pre and post treatment. Measuring vocal parameters during role-play behavioral assessment tasks allowed us to examine whether the software was capable of detecting differences in vocal characteristics that are consistent with the clinical presentation of the disorder. Children with SAD showed differences in vocal characteristics pre to post treatment, in regards to pitch, pitch variability, volume, and volume variability. There were significant changes in volume pre to post treatment, however the changes in pitch, pitch variability, and volume variability were not significant. These results suggest that post SET-C treatment, certain vocal characteristics, (one of the social skills deficits exhibited by children with SAD) improved. Implications of the findings are discussed.B.S.
Bachelors
Sciences
Psychology
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Greenberg, Saluck Robyn S. Herbert James D. "Attentional demands and recall of interpersonal information in social anxiety disorder /." Philadelphia, Pa. : Drexel University, 2006. http://dspace.library.drexel.edu/handle/1860%20/878.
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Edwards, Anna Rosenberg. "Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2011. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/110933.
Full textAbstract:
PsychologyPh.D.
Social anxiety disorder is the fourth most prevalent mental disorder in the US. Over the past several decades, psychotherapeutic, specifically cognitive behavioral, and pharmacologic approaches have been found efficacious for social anxiety disorder. A number of meta-analyses have been conducted since 1995 examining the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and/or pharmacotherapy for social anxiety disorder. Though there have been numerous trials in the past decade, no meta-analysis examining both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for social anxiety disorder has been published since 2001. For the present study, a comprehensive literature search produced 93 publications featuring 94 controlled trials (N = 11,503), which were included in the final analyses. We found a moderate to large effect size for all active treatments compared to control conditions. Significant heterogeneity among treatment effects was evident, largely accounted for by true variation between effects, versus standard error. Examination of potential study characteristic moderators indicated that treatment type (CBT, medication, combination), analysis type (intent-to-treat vs. completer), funding source, type of screening interview, type of treatment clinic (academic or private), version of diagnostic criteria, type of social anxiety sample (generalized social anxiety disorder only vs. mixed sample of generalized and specific social anxiety disorder) and type of inclusion/exclusion criteria related to other anxiety disorders were significant moderators. Publication type, inclusion/exclusion criteria related to depression and substance abuse/dependence, and full sample comorbidity with another disorder were not. Treatment type was no longer a significant moderator once control condition was accounted for. In psychotherapy trials, self-exposure (as compared to all other types of CBT) and psychotherapist training were significant moderators, whereas variables corresponding to treatment modality and delivery were not. Medication class and specific drug type were significant moderators for pharmacotherapy studies comparing an active treatment to a control condition. Head-to-head comparisons, which included trials comparing active treatments, indicated no differences between psychotherapy, medication, and the combination of the two. Further, social anxiety treatment had moderate to large effects on depression and quality of life.
Temple University--Theses
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Hattingh, Coenraad Jacobus. "The structural neurobiology of social anxiety disorder : a clinical neuroimaging study." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15544.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliographical referencesWhile a number of studies have explored the functional neuroanatomy of social anxiety disorder (SAD), comparatively few studies have investigated the structural underpinnings in SAD. 18 psychopharmacologically and psychotherapeutically naïve adult patients with a primary Axis I diagnosis of generalized social anxiety disorder and 18 demographically (age, gender and education) matched healthy controls underwent 3T structural magnetic resonance imaging. A manual tracing protocol was specifically developed to compute the volume of the most prominent subcortical gray matter structures implicated in SAD by previous functional research. Cortical thickness was estimated using an automated algorithm and whole brain analyses of white matter structure were performed using FSL's tract - based spatial statistics comparing fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD) in individuals with SAD. Manual tracing demonstrated that compared to controls, SAD patients showed an enlarged right globus pallidus. Cortical thickness analyses demonstrated significant cortical thinning in the left isthmus of the cingulate gyrus, the left temporal pole, and the left superior temporal gyrus. Analyses of white matter tractographic data demonstrated reduced FA in in the genu, splenium and tapetum of the corpus callosum. Additionally reduced FA was noticed in the fornix and the right cingulum. Reduced FA was also noted in bilateral corticospinal tracts and the right corona radiata. The results demonstrate structural alterations in limbic circuitry as well as involvement of the basal glanglia and their cortical projections and input pathways.
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DeVore, Bethany Rebekah. "Two Short Stories About Anxiety Disorder and Their Psychological Analyses." Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1114104198.
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Hansen, Ryan W. "Social Media Correlates of Self-Reported Depressive Symptoms, Worry, and Social Anxiety." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1482421602020119.
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Dalrymple, Kristy L. Herbert James D. "Acceptance and commitment therapy for generalized social anxiety disorder : a pilot study /." Philadelphia, Pa. : Drexel University, 2005. http://dspace.library.drexel.edu/handle/1860/610.
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Knappe, Susanne, Roselind Lieb, Katja Beesdo, Lydia Fehm, Nancy Chooi Ping Low, Andrew T. Gloster, and Hans-Ulrich Wittchen. "The Role of Parental Psychopathology and Family Environment for Social Anxiety Disorder in the First Three Decades of Life: parental psychopathology and family environment in social anxiety disorder." Technische Universität Dresden, 2009. https://tud.qucosa.de/id/qucosa%3A27047.
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Background. To examine the role of parental psychopathology and family environment for the risk of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in offspring from childhood to early adulthood, covering an observational period of 10 years.
Method. A community sample of 1,395 adolescents (aged 14 to 17 years at baseline) was prospectively followed-up over the core high risk period for SAD onset. DSM-IV offspring and parental psychopathology was assessed using the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview; direct diagnostic interviews in parents were supplemented by family history reports from offspring. Parental rearing was assessed by the Questionnaire of Recalled Rearing Behavior in offspring, family functioning by the McMaster Family Assessment Device in parents.
Results. Parental SAD was associated with the offspring’s risk to develop SAD (OR = 3.3, 95%CI: 1.4-8.0). Additionally, other parental anxiety disorders (OR = 2.9, 95%CI: 1.4-6.1), depression (OR = 2.6, 95%CI: 1.2-5.4) and alcohol use disorders (OR = 2.8, 95%CI: 1.3-6.1) were associated with offspring SAD. Offspring’s reports of parental overprotection, rejection and lack of emotional warmth, but not parental reports of family functioning were associated with offspring SAD. Analyses of interaction of parental psychopathology and parental rearing indicated combined effects on the risk for offspring SAD.
Conclusions. These findings extend previous results in showing that both parental psychopathology and parental rearing are consistently associated with the risk for offspring SAD. As independent and interactive effects of parental psychopathology and parental rearing may have already manifested in early adolescence, these factors appear crucial and promising for targeted prevention programs.
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Parsons, E. Marie. "The development and evaluation of a brief shame resilience intervention: Proof of concept in social anxiety disorder." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1595594451509091.
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Nolan, Elizabeth Mintzer Herbert James D. "Long-term follow-up of cognitive behavior therapy for social anxiety disorder /." Philadelphia, Pa. : Drexel University, 2005. http://dspace.library.drexel.edu/handle/1860/542.
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Cederlund, Rio. "Social anxiety disorder in children and adolescents : assessment, maintaining factors, and treatment." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Psykologiska institutionen, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-93932.
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The present dissertation consists of three empirical studies on social anxiety disorder (SAD) in a sample of Swedish children and adolescents. Based on findings made in a large behavior treatment study, the thesis contributes to the field of research on childhood SAD by investigating a factor that maintains the disorder, ways to measure and screen for diagnosis, and the treatment of the disorder. Study I investigated whether giving an educational course to the parents of socially anxious children would lead to a better outcome of a behavior-treatment study consisting of individual and group treatment components such as exposure in-vivo and social skills training, compared to a condition where only children were treated and the parents received no educational course. Another purpose of Study I was to investigate what influence, if any, co-morbidity has on treatment outcome. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the two treatment groups on any of the primary or secondary outcome measures. Further, the comorbid disorders did not impair the SAD treatment but was rather associated with further improvement, and despite the sole focus on SAD, there was significant improvement in the comorbid disorders. Study II tested the psychometric properties of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children in a sample of children with SAD. The results indicated that the instrument is a both valid and reliable measure. Further, a three-factor solution represented the three areas of SAD commonly found in adult studies, i.e. fear of performance, observation, and interaction situations. Study III explored threat perception and interpretation bias by means of an ambiguous stories task. The results showed that children with SAD deviated significantly from a non-anxious control peer group with regard to their interpretations. Post treatment the threat perception bias was altered in a normal direction, and one year after treatment termination, the SAD sample ratings were comparable to those of the non-anxious children.At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript.
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Beesdo-Baum, Katja, Susanne Knappe, Lydia Fehm, Michael Höfler, Roselind Lieb, Stefan G. Hofmann, and Hans-Ulrich Wittchen. "The Natural Course of Social Anxiety Disorder among Adolescents and Young Adults." Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2013. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-117728.
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Objective. To examine the natural course of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in the community and to explore predictors for adverse long-term outcomes.
Method. A community sample of N=3,021 subjects aged 14-24 was followed-up over 10 years using the DSM-IV/M-CIDI. Persistence of SAD is based on a composite score reflecting the proportion of years affected since onset. Diagnostic stability is the proportion of SAD subjects still affected at follow-up.
Results. SAD reveals considerable persistence with more than half of the years observed since onset spent with symptoms. 56.7% of SAD cases revealed stability with at least symptomatic expressions at follow-up; 15.5% met SAD threshold criteria again. 15.1% were completely remitted (no SAD symptoms and no other mental disorders during follow-up). Several clinical features (early onset, generalized subtype, more anxiety cognitions, severe avoidance and impairment, co-occurring panic) and vulnerability characteristics (parental SAD and depression, behavioural inhibition, harm avoidance) predicted higher SAD persistence and -less impressively- diagnostic stability.
Conclusion. A persistent course with a considerable degree of fluctuations in symptom severity is characteristic for SAD. Both, consistently meeting full threshold diagnostic criteria and complete remissions are rare. Vulnerability and clinical severity indicators predict poor prognosis and might be helpful markers for intervention needs.
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Sarver, Nina. "Evaluating the utility of a virtual environment for childhood social anxiety disorder." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5858.
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Objective: Two significant challenges for the dissemination of social skills training programs are (a) the need to provide sufficient practice opportunities to assure skill consolidation and (b) the need to assure skill generalization (i.e., use of the skills outside the clinic setting). In the case of social anxiety disorder, virtual environments may provide one strategy to address these issues. This investigation describes the development of an interactive skills-oriented virtual school environment and evaluated its utility for the treatment of social anxiety disorder in preadolescent children (Study 1). This environment included both in-clinic and at-home solutions. In addition, a pilot replication/extension study further examined preliminary treatment efficacy between children who received a standard multi-component treatment and children who received the modified treatment with social skills practice in a virtual environment (Study 2). Method: Eleven children with a primary diagnosis of social anxiety disorder between 7 to 12 years old participated in the initial feasibility trial (Study 1). Five additional children participated in the replication/extension study (Study 2). To investigate preliminary treatment efficacy, clinical outcome measures for the Study 2 sample were compared to a comparison sample who received the standard treatment. Results: Overall, the virtual environment program was viewed as acceptable, feasible, and credible treatment components to children, parents, and clinicians alike but modifications would likely improve the current version. Additionally, although preliminary, children who received the modified treatment with virtual environment practice demonstrated significant improvement at post-treatment on clinician ratings but not parent or self-reported measures. Conclusion: Virtual environments are feasible, acceptable, and credible treatment components for clinical use. Future investigations will determine if the addition of this dose-controlled and intensive social skills practice results in treatment outcome equivalent to traditional cognitive-behavioral programs.Ph.D.
Doctorate
Psychology
Sciences
Psychology; Clinical Psychology
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Morrison, Amanda Sue. "Attention Bias and Attentional Control in the Development of Social Anxiety Disorder." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2014. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/290208.
Full textAbstract:
PsychologyPh.D.
Although several efficacious treatments exist for social anxiety disorder (SAD), less research has been devoted to identifying specific mechanisms involved in the etiology of SAD using high-risk, longitudinal designs. Given the high prevalence and personal and societal burden associated with a diagnosis of SAD, research is needed to elucidate causal factors at play in the development of SAD to inform innovative prevention programs for at-risk individuals. Theoretical models and empirical research suggest that biased attention toward threat-relevant information is an important factor in the maintenance of SAD. However, relatively little is known about the role of attention bias to threat in the development of SAD, and evidence is inconclusive with regard to whether attention biases lead to increases in anxiety over time. Also, only one study has examined attentional control as a potential factor moderating this relationship despite long-held assertions that "control over cognitive processes" may be an important individual difference factor determining the strength of the relationship between attention bias and development of excessive anxiety. Finally, a few studies have shown that attention bias to threat predicts stress reactivity, but these studies have only been conducted in unselected samples rather than with individuals at risk for developing SAD. Thus, the aims of this study were to examine the moderating effects of risk for SAD and attentional control on the relationships between attention bias to threat and (1) psychological and biological social stress reactivity and (2) development of SAD. The primary aim of the study was to examine the aforementioned relationships using attention bias to threat as assessed using the modified probe detection task (MPDT). In an exploratory analysis, the relationships were examined using an index of attention disengagement bias assessed with the Posner spatial cueing task (PSCT). Attentional control was represented by four indices, analyzed in separate regression analyses given their weak bivariate associations (i.e., Antisaccade task reaction time and accuracy rate, Attention Network Test executive control score, and total score on the Attentional Control Scale). First-year college students at low or high risk for developing SAD completed assessments of attention bias, attentional control, and anxiety during their first month of college. Approximately four months later, they completed a social stressor task and the same self-report measures of social anxiety. At the end of their first year in college, they completed the self-report measures of social anxiety once more, as well as a diagnostic interview for SAD. Correlational analyses indicated that attention bias to threat on the MPDT was associated with concurrent self-reported social anxiety but did not prospectively predict psychological or biological social stress reactivity, self-reported social anxiety, or SAD diagnostic status at the end of the first year in college. Hierarchical regression analyses supported the hypothesized double moderation for concurrent social anxiety, such that high levels of attentional control weakened the association between attention bias toward threat and social anxiety, only among the individuals at high risk for SAD. However, analyses did not support this relationship in predicting prospective outcomes, and several unexpected patterns emerged in which interactions between attention bias and attentional control were observed to predict prospective outcomes, but only among individuals at low risk for developing SAD. Likewise, exploratory analyses using the PSCT index of attention bias revealed unexpected interactions between risk group, attention bias, and attentional control. Considered together, results of the current study highlight the importance of considering individual differences in attention bias and attentional control in the maintenance and development of SAD.
Temple University--Theses
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Beesdo-Baum, Katja, Susanne Knappe, Lydia Fehm, Michael Höfler, Roselind Lieb, Stefan G. Hofmann, and Hans-Ulrich Wittchen. "The Natural Course of Social Anxiety Disorder among Adolescents and Young Adults." Technische Universität Dresden, 2012. https://tud.qucosa.de/id/qucosa%3A27045.
Full textAbstract:
Objective. To examine the natural course of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in the community and to explore predictors for adverse long-term outcomes.
Method. A community sample of N=3,021 subjects aged 14-24 was followed-up over 10 years using the DSM-IV/M-CIDI. Persistence of SAD is based on a composite score reflecting the proportion of years affected since onset. Diagnostic stability is the proportion of SAD subjects still affected at follow-up.
Results. SAD reveals considerable persistence with more than half of the years observed since onset spent with symptoms. 56.7% of SAD cases revealed stability with at least symptomatic expressions at follow-up; 15.5% met SAD threshold criteria again. 15.1% were completely remitted (no SAD symptoms and no other mental disorders during follow-up). Several clinical features (early onset, generalized subtype, more anxiety cognitions, severe avoidance and impairment, co-occurring panic) and vulnerability characteristics (parental SAD and depression, behavioural inhibition, harm avoidance) predicted higher SAD persistence and -less impressively- diagnostic stability.
Conclusion. A persistent course with a considerable degree of fluctuations in symptom severity is characteristic for SAD. Both, consistently meeting full threshold diagnostic criteria and complete remissions are rare. Vulnerability and clinical severity indicators predict poor prognosis and might be helpful markers for intervention needs.
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Van, der Merwe Nicolina Thandiwe. "Blushing and gaze avoidance in social anxiety disorder : a structural neuroanatomical investigation." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13370.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliographical references.Background: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common psychiatric condition characterised by fear and avoidance of social situations. Lifetime prevalence is 5-16% and co-morbidity with other mood and substance abuse disorders is common. Symptoms including cognitive, behavioural and physiological components vary between individuals. Of these, blushing and gaze fear and avoidance are regarded as cardinal symptoms. First line treatment of SAD involves SSRIs and cognitive behavioural therapy, while surgery may also be considered for excessive blushing. Blushing and gaze avoidance are thought to have an evolutionary adaptive advantage, promoting the display of submissive behaviour and appeasement in threatening situations. MRI research has demonstrated differences on functional and structural neuroimaging between patients with SAD and healthy controls (HCs). However, little is known about the neurocircuitry underlying gaze fear and avoidance or increased blushing propensity or how the severity of these traits correlate with the neuroimaging differences found in SAD. In this research, I explored the neuroanatomy of blushing propensity and gaze fear and avoidance in the context of SAD. Methods: 18 SAD patients and 18 HCs underwent structural MRI scans and self-report scales were administered to assess their symptom severity, blushing propensity and gaze fear and avoidance. Structural data was analysed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Regression and contrast analyses were used to correlate blushing propensity and gaze anxiety and avoidance symptoms with brain volumes, controlling for total grey matter volume, age and level of education. Results: Anxiety, blushing propensity and gaze fear and avoidance symptoms were all significantly higher in SAD patients (p<0.001). Brainstem volumes were increased for higher blushing scores a (p<0.01), while the volumes of left inferior parietal lobe b (p=0.04) and left occipital cortex a (p<0.01) were decreased. With increased gaze fear and avoidance, there were associated decreases in the right posterior cingulate cortex a (p<0.01), right occipital lobe b (p=0.03) and right fusiform gyrus a (p<0.01). Increased blushing and gaze symptom severity considered together, was associated with increased brainstem volume a (p<0.01) and decreased pons/cerebellum b (p=0.001), right cerebellum b (p=0.009), left cerebellum c (p<0.001) and left inferior parietal lobe a (p<0.1), volumes. Contrast analysis of SAD and HC brain volumes revealed a greater grey matter volume in HCs in the regions of left occipital cortex (p<0.01), left anterior cingulate (p<0.01) and right inferior parietal lobe (p<0.01) when compared to SAD patients. Increased symptom severity in SAD was significantly associated with higher volumes in the left premotor cortex (p<0.01), right hippocampus (p<0.01), left orbitofrontal cortex (p<0.01) and right superior temporal cortex (p<0.01). Possible areas for of interest for volume differences between SAD and HCs include total grey matter volume (d =0.83), left and right anterior cingulate cortex (d =0.68 and d =0.65), and left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (d =0.55 and d =0.54), yet these differences were not significantly different. (a uncorrected peak levels b uncorrected cluster level, c corrected cluster level). Conclusion: Differences in brain volumes pertaining to blushing and gaze fear and avoidance in SAD patients may be a contributing factor or a consequence of these core symptoms, and a potential biomarker for SAD. Future studies could build on this preliminary research with increased sample sizes, and determine the possible effects of reduced symptom severity and treatment options on brain structure and function. Most importantly, an investigation of the genetic underpinnings and functional neural correlates of blushing and gaze avoidance behaviour may enhance our understanding of the complex aetiology of these cardinal SAD symptoms, thereby improving our understanding of SAD as a psychiatric disorder and facilitating better patient care and management.
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Mizzi, Simone. "The role of amygdala subregions in the neurobiology of social anxiety disorder." Phd thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2022. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/74e56c35f6026b2374d916ee37c4e3be637e3fd482fa2885fac12a8c27a80599/7997315/Mizzi_2022_The_role_of_amygdala_subregions_in.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Social anxiety is characterised by fear and/or avoidance of social situations in which an individual may be scrutinised by others. Social anxiety is thought to exist as a spectrum, with individuals on the high-end experiencing frequent and severe anxiety in the context of social situations. When severe social anxiety is accompanied by distress and functional impairment, a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (SAD) can be made. SAD is a prevalent and debilitating disorder that can be unremitting and pervasive in the absence of intervention. Current psychotherapeutic and pharmacotherapeutic treatments for SAD demonstrate limited efficacy in remitting symptoms. Therefore, it is important to achieve a better understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms implicated in this disorder and identify potential neural treatment targets to develop more efficacious treatments.
This thesis aimed to further investigate the neurobiological mechanisms implicated in SAD (vs. controls) and the associations between neural functioning and social anxiety as a dimensional symptom, with a focus on the amygdala and four of its subregions (the amygdalostriatal, basolateral, centromedial, and superficial subregions). This was due to previous findings in the neuroimaging literature in SAD having consistently implicated the amygdala, albeit with mixed findings of both increased and decreased functioning in those with SAD compared to controls. In the literature to date, however, most studies had examined the amygdala as a singular homogenous region due to methodological limitations in being able to examine the functionally and structurally distinct subnuclei that make up this region. By examining the amygdala subregions through the use of multiband functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this thesis additionally sought to determine whether the mixed findings in the literature to date may be a result of amygdala subregion-specific activity and connectivity patterns.
This was achieved through three research studies. Firstly, Study 1 involved a comprehensive systematic review that summarised the literature on resting-state neuroimaging in SAD with a focus on fMRI studies and findings specific to the amygdala and its subregions (Chapter 3). This was followed by two empirical studies which investigated the role of the amygdala and its subregions during resting-state (Study 2) and emotion processing (Study 3) fMRI paradigms (Chapters 5 and 6, respectively).
Findings from the systematic review (Study 1) highlighted the mixed findings in the resting-state neuroimaging literature in SAD to date, along with methodological limitations relating to neuroimaging acquisition and analysis. The empirical studies sought to address these limitations and demonstrated differing amygdala subregion activity and connectivity patterns at rest and during emotion processing. In the resting-state fMRI study (Study 2), there were no statistically significant differences in functional connectivity of the amygdala and its subregions in those with SAD compared to controls. However, social anxiety severity was found to be positively associated with connectivity between the superficial subregion and the supramarginal gyrus. The superficial subregion, along with the basolateral and centromedial subregions, were also implicated in the task-based emotion processing fMRI study (Study 3). In response to happy, angry, and fearful faces, those with SAD (vs. controls) had hyperactivation of the superficial subregion, hypoconnectivity between the superficial subregion and the precuneus, and hyperconnectivity between the basolateral subregion and broader brain regions (i.e., the pre/postcentral gyrus and the supramarginal gyrus). Additionally, social anxiety severity was positively associated with superficial and centromedial activation.
Overall, the findings from this thesis provide novel information to the current understanding of the neurobiology of SAD by demonstrating amygdala subregion-specific alterations. This has important implications for research, theory, and clinical practice that are detailed in the thesis discussion (Chapter 7). Briefly, in terms of research, findings from the thesis provide support for the continuing investigation of SAD using both dimensional and categorical approaches. This was evident by the findings from the two empirical papers which demonstrated positive associations between subregional activity and connectivity patterns and social anxiety severity. With regards to theory, differences in neural patterns that were observed at rest (Study 2) and during emotion processing (Study 3) provide support for distinct neurobiological models to be constructed based on whether those with SAD are in the absence or presence of social stimuli. This is in contrast to the most recently proposed neurobiological model of SAD which was informed by a combination of resting-state and task-based fMRI data. Finally, with regards to clinical practice, the findings from this thesis provide preliminary evidence of the superficial, basolateral, and centromedial subregions of the amygdala as being potential treatment targets that can be used to inform the development of more efficacious treatments for SAD.
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Kuusikko-Gauffin, S. (Sanna). "Social anxiety and emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorders." Doctoral thesis, Oulun yliopisto, 2011. http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:9789514293344.
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Abstract The primary aim of the current study was to examine social anxiety symptoms in high-functioning children and adolescents, ages eight to 17 years old with autism (HFA) or Asperger syndrome (AS). The second aim was to study emotion recognition skills in children and adolescents with HFA/AS. In addition, two internationally used social anxiety questionnaires (The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children and; The Social Anxiety Scale for Children -revised) were translated into Finnish, and psychometric analyses were performed in order assess the research and clinical utility of these measures as novel tools for the study of child social anxiety in Finland. Results suggest that adolescents, in particular, with HFA/AS experience a greater number of social anxiety symptoms and have increased rates of clinically relevant social anxiety disorder (SAD) than do their control counterparts. Parents reported higher levels of anxiety symptoms in their children with HFA/AS regardless of the child’s age; however, individuals with HFA/AS self-reported anxiety symptoms increased later in their development (i.e., adolescence). In addition, overall facial emotion recognition increased with age in the HFA/AS group. Despite this, the HFA/AS group did not reach the higher ability level attained by the typically developing adolescents regardless of age. Specifically, when the facial emotion expressed a combination of both surprise and fear, participants with HFA/AS labelled the facial expression as “fear” statistically significantly more often than did controls. Moreover, control participants interpreted faces which blended sadness and neutral emotions as neutral more often than HFA/AS participants. Results suggest that social anxiety is clinically important to assess in children and adolescents with HFA/AS. Clinical interventions which enhance emotion recognition skills and reduce social anxiety symptoms in individuals with HFA/AS may be warrantedTiivistelmä Tutkimuksen päätarkoituksena oli selvittää sosiaalista ahdistuneisuutta 8–17-vuotiailla hyvätasoisilla lapsilla ja nuorilla, joilla on autismi (HFA) tai Aspergerin oireyhtymä (AS). Tutkimuksen toinen tarkoitus oli selvittää, miten HFA- ja AS-lapset ja nuoret kykenevät tunnistamaan tunteita kasvonilmeistä. Tutkimus arvioi myös kahden kansainvälisesti tunnetun, sosiaalista ahdistuneisuutta mittaavan kyselylomakkeen (The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children ja The Social Anxiety Scale for Children -revised) toimivuutta suomalaisessa väestössä. Tavoitteena oli antaa uusia työvälineitä suomalaiselle lastenpsykiatrialle tutkimus- ja kliiniseen työhön. Tutkimustulokset osoittivat HFA- ja AS-nuorten kokevan muita nuoria useammin sosiaalista ahdistuneisuutta. Vanhemmat havaitsevat HFA- ja AS-lastensa sosiaalisen ahdistuneisuuden oireet lapsen iästä riippumatta, kun lapset itse kertoivat oireistaan vasta nuoruusiässä. Tutkimus osoitti myös, että HFA:ta tai AS:ää sairastavien kyky tunnistaa tunteita paranee iän myötä. Se ei kuitenkaan saavuta tavalliseen tapaan kehittyvien lasten taitotasoa nuoruusikään mennessä. HFA- ja AS-lapset ja nuoret tulkitsevat ikätovereitaan useammin kasvojen ilmeen peloksi silloin, kun kasvojenilme on sekoitus pelko-yllättyneisyyttä. Tavalliseen tapaan kehittyneet lapset ja nuoret tulkitsevat kasvojenilmeen useammin neutraaliksi kuin HFA tai AS diagnoosin saaneet, jos kasvojenilme on sekoitus surullinen-neutraalia. Tutkimustulosten perusteella tulee HFA:ta tai AS:ää sairastavia lapsia ja nuoria hoidettaessa ottaa huomioon sosiaalinen ahdistuneisuus. Heille tulisi nykyistä useammin tarjota tilaisuus myös kuntouttaa kykyä tunnistaa toisten ihmisten tunteita
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Santos, Nomara. "Asperger's disorder and social phobia : a comparison of social functioning." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2009. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/1324.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucf.edu/Systems/DigitalInitiatives/DigitalCollections/InternetDistributionConsentAgreementForm.pdf You may also contact the project coordinator, Kerri Bottorff, at kerri.bottorff@ucf.edu for more information.Bachelors
Sciences
Psychology
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Lampe, Lisa Anne. "Avoidant Personality Disorder and Social Phobia: Identification of Clinically Meaningful Differences." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/17721.
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Background: Both avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) and social phobia (SP) feature social fears that lead to avoidant behaviour, distress and disability. The “severity continuum hypothesis” proposes that AVPD is essentially a more severe variant of SP, but a small number of studies posit the contrary, and clinical experience suggests that AVPD is a distinct disorder. Thus far AVPD is vastly under-researched compared to SP and this thesis targets this gap and investigates the extent to which AVPD is a distinct entity from SP. Methods: A literature review of the evidence for and against the severity continuum hypothesis identified factors that may differentiate AVPD and SP, in particular attachment style. Epidemiological data was interrogated to determine the prevalence and demographic correlates of AVPD with and without SP. Prospectively recruited participants were assigned to SP-only, AVPD-only or SP+AVPD groups and compared across variables of syndromic, aetiological and therapeutic interest for AVPD. A qualitative study was conducted to characterise the core lived experience features of AVPD, further informing development of a brief clinical screening measure. Results: Australian community epidemiological data confirmed international findings of a predominance of AVPD without SP. In both epidemiological and recruited samples the comorbid group separated from SP-only in the direction of greater severity, whereas AVPD-only showed a more variable relationship. Analysis of qualitative data suggested that greater emphasis would be warranted on the perceived catastrophic meaning of rejection and sense of self, and delineated cognitive-behavioural patterns worthy of further study. The brief, easily scored screening measure offers promise for use in clinical settings. Conclusions: Support is found for an alternative to the continuum hypothesis. In this, SP and AVPD share a focus on interpersonal concerns but are sufficiently distinct to justify retaining separate diagnostic categories. The brief screening tool and findings from the qualitative study add considerably to knowledge of AVPD and the insights from this thesis are likely to be of significance, informing our approach to establishing and maintaining a therapeutic alliance with this very difficult to engage patient population.
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Wabnitz, Pascal [Verfasser]. "Social trauma : psychophysiological correlates and time course of social threat processing in social anxiety disorder / Pascal Wabnitz." Bielefeld : Universitätsbibliothek Bielefeld, 2013. http://d-nb.info/104304096X/34.
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Lowry, Kirsten A. "Interpersonal problems, adult attachment, and emotion regulation among college students with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social phobia." abstract and full text PDF (UNR users only), 2008. http://0-gateway.proquest.com.innopac.library.unr.edu/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3316376.
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Weinbrecht, Anna [Verfasser]. "Too Good to Be True? Unpacking the Processing of Positive Social Information in Borderline Personality Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder / Anna Weinbrecht." Berlin : Freie Universität Berlin, 2021. http://d-nb.info/1234451603/34.
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Modini, Matthew Grant. "Negative Rumination in Social Anxiety Disorder: Mediating Processes and the Effects of Treatment." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/18385.
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Pre- and post-event rumination are key factors in the development and maintenance of social anxiety disorder (SAD) according to cognitive models of social anxiety. However, there has been limited research into what cognitive and attentional processes predict and maintain levels of rumination in socially anxious individuals, particularly in regards to pre-event rumination, as well as the effect of specific treatment interventions on levels of rumination. If the cognitive and attentional mediators of negative rumination can be determined then they can be targeted when designing interventions that aim to address the role. This thesis aims to: (1) determine the size and direction that hypothesised cognitive and attentional processes share with pre- and post-event rumination in social anxiety; (2) investigate which processes need to be reduced following cognitive behavioural treatment to mediate the relationship between changes in trait social anxiety and pre- and post-event rumination; (3) make recommendations regarding the processes that need to be targeted when designing interventions that aim to address the role of pre- and post-event rumination in the development and maintenance of SAD; (4) test the effectiveness of a brief cognitive restructuring and a meta-cognitive intervention in terms of reducing levels of negative rumination in social anxiety. As a whole this thesis provides support for the maladaptive role of rumination in SAD but extends past research by investigating its mediators and response to treatment. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed and directions for future research provided.
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Ilton, Jessica. "The Effect of Treatment Preference on Compliance and Satisfaction for Social Anxiety Disorder." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/38416.
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Purpose: There is accumulating evidence that treatment preference may significantly impact treatment compliance and satisfaction in individuals with psychological disorders. Very few studies have examined treatment preferences in clients with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Moreover, little is known if treatment preference for a conventional therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy versus mindfulness-based interventions, influence outcomes. The primary objective of the current study was to determine whether treatment expectancy and preferences for a mindfulness intervention adapted for SAD (MBI-SAD), cognitive behavior group therapy (CBGT), or no preference, would influence treatment compliance and treatment satisfaction. Method: The sample included 97 participants who met the DSM-5 criteria for SAD. After selecting a treatment preference, participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group. Analyses of variance, chi-square, and logistic regressions were conducted to determine if being matched to one’s preferred treatment influenced outcomes, and if those with no preference differed from those who indicated a preference. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to determine if participants’ perceptions of credibility and expectations and match to treatment influenced compliance and satisfaction. Results: There was some support that treatment preference and match to treatment influenced compliance and satisfaction, however the majority of the analyses revealed no impact of treatment preferences. CBGT met expectations more often than did MBI-SAD when participants were matched to their preferred treatment. When participants were matched to their preferred treatment or had no preference, they were more compliant with homework than those who were not matched. Those with no preference had lower attendance than both the matched and not matched groups. Perceived credibility and expectancy were higher for those who were matched to their preferred group, however this did not have an impact on compliance and satisfaction. The remainder of the analyses did not find a relationship between treatment preference or match to treatment on compliance or satisfaction.
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Coffman, Marika Cerie. "Common and Distinct Neural Mechanisms of Fear Acquisition and Reversal in comorbid Autism with Social Anxiety and Social Anxiety Disorder uncomplicated by Autism." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/102409.
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Social Anxiety (SAD) increases in prevalence as children enter adolescence. Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are diagnosed with comorbid SAD at higher rates than these individuals are diagnosed with other clinical disorders, including depression and other anxiety disorders. However, there is little research on whether the presentation and neural underpinning of comorbid SAD within the context of ASD is the same as SAD alone. Individual and diagnostic differences exist in neural and biological mechanisms of fear conditioning. Characterization of whether neural mechanisms of fear are different within ASD with comorbid SAD and SAD alone may better inform clinical treatments. Accordingly, the present study characterizes neural responses during a fear-inducing experiment, as measured by fMRI. Fifty-seven adolescents participated in this study, with adolescents with ASD and SAD (n=17), SAD alone (n=20), and typically developing adolescents (n=20). All participants completed two fear conditioning and reversal paradigms while completing an fMRI scan. The paradigm consisted of a Social condition and Nonsocial condition. An ANOVA for fear conditioning was conducted. Results revealed significant activation in the Inferior Temporal Gyrus (ITG) during fear conditioning. No between group differences were observed, but within-group differences indicated differential modulation of the ITG in the ASD with SAD group in the Social condition compared to the Nonsocial condition. The SAD group demonstrated differential activation between conditioning stimuli in the Nonsocial condition, but not in the Social condition. Results indicate that adolescents with ASD and SAD may display different neural mechanisms for acquiring fear compared to typically developing peers. Results have potential to inform treatment approaches.Doctor of Philosophy