School-based Treatment of Social Anxiety With Developmentally Oriented Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder

Summary

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to find out whether the brief, 10-session Developmentally Oriented Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder (DOCT-SAD) is more effective than standard counseling (SC) to treat Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) among 12 to 17-year-old adolescents with SAD. Potential participants for the study are identified from school health and well-being services (SHWS). The DOCT-SAD is delivered by method-trained school psychologists working in the SHWS. SC will be provided by non-method-trained SHWS professionals (i.e. school nurses, social workers or school psychologists) according to their routine counselling practice. The main research questions of the study are: 1. Is DOCT-SAD more effective than SC for alleviating symptoms of social anxiety? 2. Is DOCT-SAD more effective than SC to produce diagnostic remission from primary SAD and alleviating symptom severity associated with SAD? 3. Is DOCT-SAD more effective than SC for alleviating co-occurring depressive symptoms, interference in daily functioning due to worry or fears, and for increasing general well-being, positive mental health, and for improving the quality of life among adolescents with SAD? Researchers will compare DOCT-SAD with SC to see if DOCT-SAD is effective in the treatment of SAD in adolescents. Participants will: * be treated either with DOCT-SAD or SC for 10 weeks. * be followed up and assessed clinically at six-month and twelve-month follow-up points.

Eligibility

Inclusion criteria:

* age 13-17 years
* diagnosis of DSM-5 SAD (Social Anxiety Disorder)
* SAD is the primary mental health disorder
* motivation of the adolescent and parent to attend DOCT-SAD / SC as described in the study protocol
* good command of the Finnish language.

Exclusion criteria:

* intellectual deficit
* presence of primary autism spectrum disorder
* marked psychotic symptoms or psyhotic disorder
* severe eating disorder, depression or primary other anxiety disorder requiring acute treatment which need to be prioritized above treatment of social anxiety
* acute suicidality or suicide risk
* substance use or substance use disorder requiring child protection measures
* presence of contextual/environmental risk factors in the participants surroundings which require child protection measures

Conditions4

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