Premium
Social anxiety in young people with first‐episode psychosis: Pilot study of the EMBRACE moderated online social intervention
Author(s) -
McEnery Carla,
Lim Michelle H.,
Knowles Ann,
Rice Simon,
Gleeson John,
Howell Simmone,
Russon Penni,
Miles Chris,
D'Alfonso Simon,
AlvarezJimenez Mario
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
early intervention in psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.087
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1751-7893
pISSN - 1751-7885
DOI - 10.1111/eip.12912
Subject(s) - social anxiety , loneliness , anxiety , intervention (counseling) , psychology , moderation , clinical psychology , fear of negative evaluation , psychiatry , social psychology
Aim We conducted a single‐group pilot study to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and safety of a novel online intervention (entitled EMBRACE) that includes expert and peer moderation, therapeutic comics and social networking features. The cognitive‐behavioural‐based intervention was specifically designed to treat social anxiety as a primary treatment target in youth with first‐episode psychosis (FEP). Methods The 10 participants (17‐26 years; M age = 23 years) had a diagnosis of FEP and experienced significant levels of social anxiety as defined by exceeding a sub‐threshold clinical score (>30) on the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). They had access to the EMBRACE intervention for 2 months. Results In total, seven out of ten participants completed eight modules or more (total of 12 modules). All participants rated the intervention as positive and safe, and endorsed recommending it to others who experience social anxiety. Improvement in pre‐post social anxiety symptoms, as measured via the SIAS ( d = −1.70, P = .0005) and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale ( d = −1.35, P = .002) were found. No statistically significant pre‐post improvements were found for depressive or loneliness symptoms. Conclusion EMBRACE was shown to be a feasible, acceptable, and safe online intervention to specifically target social anxiety as a primary treatment concern in young people with FEP.