The Efficacy of Prospective Mental Imagery in Enhancing Approach Motivation Among Socially Anxious Individuals
The Efficacy of Prospective Mental Imagery in Enhancing Approach Motivation Among Socially Anxious Individuals: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Philipps University Marburg
58 participants
Mar 4, 2025
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
The efficacy of an online intervention aimed at enhancing approach motivation and behavioral engagement in confronting anxiety-inducing social situations is examined among individuals with elevated social anxiety. Participants will receive psychoeducation, followed by either a prospective mental-imagery task or a verbal reasoning task. Efficacy of the intervention is measured by ratings of experienced and anticipated pleasure, approach motivation and self-reported engagement with feared situations one week later.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria3
- Elevated score on Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN) \> 6
- Moderate fear and avoidance of two specified social situations (i.e., giving a stranger a compliment and asking for a restaurant recommendation), each rated above 5 on a Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely), respectively
- Avoidance of the two specified social situations (i.e., giving a stranger a compliment and asking for a restaurant recommendation), indicated by not having engaged in either behaviors in the past 7 days
Interventions
Providing information about social anxiety, role of safety and avoidance behaviors in maintaining social anxiety, rationale for exposure to feared social situations
A standard imagination script is recounted in which participants have successfully mastered the socially feared situation
Participants are asked to reflect on the pros and cons of facing the socially feared situation
Locations(1)
View Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov
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NCT06977087