Online Study on the Impact of a Self-Help Tool for Social Anxiety

N/ANot Yet RecruitingNCT07408102

Trustees of Princeton University200 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to understand which individuals benefit most from an internet-based cognitive behavioral intervention for social anxiety. Adults aged 18-65 will complete a self-guided online program designed to reduce anxiety symptoms. The investigators will use a combination of self-reported clinical information and data from computerized decision-making and cognitive tasks to predict changes in symptom scores from the intervention.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

200

Conditions

Social Anxiety

Interventions

Internet-delivered self-help for social anxiety based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapyBEHAVIORAL

Participants will be offered the use of a self-help tool, e-couch (https://ecouch.com.au), for 5 weeks. e-couch is an online, self-directed tool that provides interactive self-help and evidence-based information to help users understand and manage common mental health challenges including symptoms of depression and anxiety. The e-couch social anxiety program will be used in this study. It is structured like an interactive self-help book and participants can log back into at any time to learn and review skills. The e-couch social anxiety program includes a comprehensive information module, as well as self-help modules with interactive exercises and workbooks that teach evidence-based strategies. The content will cover topics such as cognitive restructuring and exposure, with an emphasis on learning strategies to reduce social anxiety.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 65 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 to 65 years * Live in the United States * Comfortable reading and writing in English * Have regular access to the internet and a desktop/laptop computer * Report wanting to feel more comfortable in social situations, to improve social confidence, and/or to reduce symptoms of social anxiety as primary reason for joining the study * Have a valid photo ID and be willing to complete a video-based identity verification call if requested Exclusion Criteria: * Lack of attention when completing parts of the study, and/or not completing the study tasks as instructed

Locations (1)

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Predictive accuracy of change in social anxiety symptom severity, as measured by Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) total score, from baseline to end of intervention (5 weeks)

Social anxiety symptom severity will be assessed using the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), a validated self-report questionnaire measuring fear and avoidance across social interaction and performance situations. The LSAS total score ranges from 0 to 144, with higher scores indicating greater social anxiety symptom severity. LSAS total scores will be collected at baseline (pre-intervention) and at the end of the 5-week e-couch intervention period. The outcome metric is the individual-level change in LSAS total score, calculated as the end-of-intervention score minus the baseline score. The primary outcome is the accuracy with which pre-intervention self-report measures and computerized behavioral task performance predict change in LSAS total score. Analyses will examine the extent to which individual differences in decision-making and cognitive task performance account for variability in symptom change across participants.

Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention) to end of intervention (5 weeks)

Central Contacts

Jamie C Chiu, PsyD

CONTACT

6099337384 jamiechiu@princeton.edu

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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