Attention Training and Cognitive Therapy

University of Sydney

Status: Completed

Conditions: Social Phobia

Treatments: Behavioral: attention training; Behavioral: Cognitive therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01093313

USydney9274

Details and patient eligibility

About

The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy and process of change that occurs in Attention Training in comparison to an established treatment for social phobia, Cognitive Therapy. A randomized trial was conducted in which participants were allocated to either six weeks of Attention Training or Cognitive Therapy. It was hypothesized that both treatments would be effective in reducing social phobia symptoms, but that Attention Training would work primarily by reducing levels of self focused attention, while Cognitive Therapy would work through changes to probability and threat appraisals.

Enrollment: 46 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18 years of age,
• be fluent in English
• have a primary concern of social anxiety that met DSM-IV criteria (APA, 2000) for social phobia. Both subtypes of social phobia, specific and generalized, were accepted into the study.

Exclusion criteria

• the presence of comorbid condition(s) that were more severe than the presenting social phobia

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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46 participants in 2 patient groups

Attention training

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: attention training

Cognitive therapy

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cognitive therapy