title: Influence of alcohol on social anxiety: an investigation of attentional, physiological and behavioral effects.
abstract: Social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorders are highly comorbid. It remains unclear, however, if and how alcohol influences attentional processes and physical symptoms in social anxiety. In a balanced-placebo-design, high and normally socially anxious participants gave a speech while performing a task, which simultaneously measures internal and external attention. Only high anxious participants showed a preferential processing of external probes, which was eliminated by alcohol or the mere expectation of drinking alcohol. Furthermore, alcohol reduced facial blushing as well as self-reported social anxiety during public speaking. Decreases in anxiety were significantly associated with a reduction of the external focus in the high anxious group. Understanding alcohol as a substance influencing cognitive processes as well as physiological symptoms of anxiety further contributes to our understanding of alcohol use as a safety behavior in social anxiety disorder.
authors.affiliation: University of Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: stephan.stevens@uni-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.affiliation: Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cludius
authors.affiliation: Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Trisha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bantin
authors.affiliation: Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.affiliation: University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gerlach
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000209:etiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D057566:Self Report; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D064232:Visual Analog Scale; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Attention; Hazardous drinking; Physical symptoms; Social anxiety