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Phase I trial of a standalone internet social anxiety treatment for adolescents who stutter: iBroadway
Author(s) -
Gunn Anthony,
Menzies Ross G.,
Onslow Mark,
O'Brian Sue,
Packman Ann,
Lowe Robyn,
Helgadóttir Fjóla Dögg,
Jones Mark
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of language and communication disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.101
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1460-6984
pISSN - 1368-2822
DOI - 10.1111/1460-6984.12496
Subject(s) - stuttering , anxiety , psychology , social anxiety , distress , clinical psychology , randomized controlled trial , quality of life (healthcare) , cognitive behaviour therapy , psychiatry , developmental psychology , psychotherapist , medicine , surgery
Background iGlebe is a fully automated internet treatment program for adults who stutter that has been shown, in some cases, to reduce anxiety and effectively manage social anxiety disorder for many participants. No such automated internet treatment program exists for adolescents who stutter. Aims The present paper reports a Phase I trial of an adolescent version of the adult program: iBroadway. Methods & Procedures Participants were 29 adolescents in the age range 12–17 years who were seeking cognitive–behaviour therapy (CBT) for anxiety associated with stuttering. The design was a non‐randomized Phase I trial with outcome assessments at pre‐treatment and immediately post‐treatment after 5 months of access to the program. No contact by a clinical psychologist occurred during participant use of the program. Outcomes were a range of psychological, quality‐of‐life and stuttering severity measures. Outcomes & Results The compliance rate for the seven iBroadway modules over 5 months was extremely favourable for internet CBT, at 52.4%. There was evidence of treatment effects for (1) the number of DSM‐IV mental health diagnoses with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children; (2) the Unhelpful Thoughts and Beliefs About Stuttering scale; (3) the Subjective Units of Distress Scale; and (4) parent‐reported speech satisfaction. Conclusions & Implications Further development of iBroadway, the adolescent version of iGlebe, with Phase II trialling is warranted.