RecruitingNot ApplicableNCT06489639

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

School-based Treatment of Social Anxiety: A Randomized and Controlled Study Using Developmentally Oriented Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder

Sponsor

Klaus Ranta

Enrollment

156 participants

Start Date

Mar 20, 2023

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Social Anxiety Disorder Adolescent - Emotional Problem Social Anxiety

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

Min Age: 12 YearsMax Age: 17 Years

Inclusion Criteria5

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 Criteria7

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

Interventions

BEHAVIORALDOCT-SAD

Developmentally Oriented Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder is a 10-session, combined individual/group clinical intervention for treating social anxiety in adolescents. It consists of four individual and six group sessions during ten weeks. DOCT-SAD groups are formed for 4-6 adolescnts. One parent or both parents attend two of the individual sessions.

BEHAVIORALSC

Standard Counseling (SC) is a intervention consisting of counseling sessions delivered by a school health and welfare (SHWS) professional (i.e., school nurse, school social worker, or school psychologist) to support a student with social anxiety. The defined length of intervention is ten weeks, and number of sessions will be according to what is routinely agreed between the professional and the adolescent. In SC, routine professional working methods and procedures available to the SHWS professional delivering the intervention are used.