title: A randomized pilot study of motivation enhancement therapy to increase utilization of cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety.
abstract: Despite the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), most socially anxious individuals do not seek treatment or seek treatment only after many years of suffering. This study evaluated the efficacy of a three-session motivation enhancement therapy (MET) designed to increase CBT utilization among socially anxious individuals. Twenty-seven non-treatment-seeking socially anxious individuals (92.6% met current DSM-IV criteria for social anxiety disorder) were randomly assigned to either MET for CBT (n = 12) or a control condition (n = 15). The primary outcome was attendance at first CBT appointment. Secondary outcomes included openness to therapist contact and willingness to schedule a CBT appointment. After the intervention, seven of the 12 (58.3%) participants in the MET condition attended a CBT appointment compared to two of 15 (13.3%) control participants. Eight of 11 (72.7%) participants in the MET condition indicated they would like a CBT therapist to contact them compared to four of 12 (33.3%) controls. Further, willingness to schedule a CBT appointment increased at a significantly greater rate in the MET condition. Results suggest MET for CBT may be a time-efficient means to increase CBT utilization among socially anxious individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. jbuckner@lsu.edu
authors.forename: Julia D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Buckner
authors.forename: Norman B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*