Treating university students with social phobia and public speaking fears: Internet delivered self-help with or without live group exposure sessions.
BACKGROUND
This study investigated the efficacy of an Internet-based self-help program with minimal therapist contact via e-mail for Swedish university students with social phobia and public speaking fears. The main objective was to test if the Internet-based self-help program would be more effective if five live group exposure sessions were added.


METHODS
Thirty-eight students meeting the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edition criteria for social phobia were randomized into two different treatment groups: Internet delivered cognitive behavior therapy combined with five group exposure sessions (ICBT+ exp) or the Internet program alone (ICBT).


RESULTS
Results were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. Both treatment groups showed significant improvement from pre- to post-test, and from pre-test to 1-year follow-up, on all measured dimensions (social anxiety, general anxiety, depression levels, and quality of life). For both the groups, the average within-group effect sizes for the primary social anxiety scales, expressed as Cohen's d, were comparable to those seen in traditionally administered cognitive behavioral therapy both at post-test and at 1- year follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the Internet-based self-help program on its own is efficient in the treatment of university students with social phobia. Adding group exposure sessions did not improve the outcome significantly.
Tillfors
Maria
M
Department of Behavioural, Social and Legal Sciences, Orebro University, Orebro, Sweden. Maria.Tillfors@bsr.oru.se
Carlbring
Per
P
Furmark
Tomas
T
Lewenhaupt
Susanne
S
Spak
Maria
M
Eriksson
Anna
A
Westling
Bengt E
BE
Andersson
Gerhard
G
D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012931:Social Environment; D013060:Speech; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult