The current study aims to explore the efficacy of a text message based Safety Behavior Fading Intervention compared to an active control intervention.
Safety behavior fading may be a viable standalone intervention for social anxiety. In the present trial, participants high in social anxiety will be randomized to either receive a daily checklist exercise aimed at eliminating (1) safety behaviors or (2) unhealthy behaviors. Individuals randomly assigned to the safety behavior fading condition will receive instructions to decrease or eliminate their four most habitual social anxiety safety behaviors. In addition, they will receive daily reminders via text message to decrease these behaviors, along with a safety behavior monitoring checklist in which the participant indicates the extent to which they decreased and/or eliminated each safety behavior over the previous day. Individuals randomly assigned to the control condition will receive similar text messages and a daily checklist to encourage fading of unhealthy behaviors. Participants in both conditions will complete checklists for 28 days. After day 14 of treatment, participants will re-select their target safety behaviors or unhealthy behaviors, and will then be prompted to reduce these new behaviors for another 14 days.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
201
Participants are asked to reduce or eliminate safety behaviors via text message reminders and checklists to monitor progress.
Participants are asked to reduce or eliminate unhealthy behaviors via text message reminders and checklists to monitor progress.
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida, United States
Change in Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN)
Self-report scale that measures Social anxiety symptoms. Scores range from 0 to 68 with higher scores indicating higher levels of social anxiety symptoms.
Time frame: Time Frame: Day 0, Day 14, Day 28, Day 56
Change in Center For Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Ten Item Version (CESD-10)
A 10-item self-report scale measuring depression symptoms; higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms.
Time frame: Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56
Change in UCLA Loneliness Scale, Short Form (ULS-8)
An 8-item self-report measure of subjective loneliness, with higher scores indicating greater loneliness.
Time frame: Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56
Change in Self-Beliefs Related to Social Anxiety Scale (SBSA)
A 15-item scale measuring common and generally maladaptive beliefs related to social anxiety.
Time frame: Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56
Change in Subtle Avoidance Frequency Examination (SAFE) scale
A 32-item self-report measure of safety behavior usage frequency
Time frame: Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56
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