Abstract
Objective: The present study examined the effects of sudden gains on treatment outcome in a randomized controlled trial including individual cognitive therapy (CT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT) for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Method: Participants were 67 individuals with SAD who received 16 treatment sessions. Symptom severity at each session was assessed using the Social Phobia Weekly Summary Scale (Clark et al., 2003). Results: Results indicate that 22.4% of participants experienced a sudden gain during treatment. Individuals with sudden gains had significantly lower social anxiety symptoms at post-treatment and follow-up compared to individuals without sudden gains. Sudden gains in CT and IPT had similar magnitudes, frequencies, and timings. However, sudden gains resulted in lower levels of post-treatment symptoms in CT compared to IPT. Cognitive changes did not precede sudden gains, but sudden gains resulted in cognitive changes. Conclusions: Sudden gains in CT and IPT for SAD are predictive of long-term outcome. In addition, the effect of sudden gains may be greater in CT compared to IPT.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 177-182 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of consulting and clinical psychology |
Volume | 81 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- social anxiety disorder
- social phobia
- sudden gains
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Clinical Psychology