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An open trial of mindfulness‐based stress reduction for young adults with social anxiety disorder
Author(s) -
Hjeltnes Aslak,
Molde Helge,
Schanche Elisabeth,
Vøllestad Jon,
Lillebostad Svendsen Julie,
Moltu Christian,
Binder PerEinar
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/sjop.12342
Subject(s) - mindfulness , psychology , mindfulness based stress reduction , psychological intervention , distress , clinical psychology , social anxiety , anxiety , intervention (counseling) , stress reduction , young adult , psychiatry , developmental psychology
The present study investigated mindfulness‐based stress reduction ( MBSR ) for young adults with a social anxiety disorder ( SAD ) in an open trial. Fifty‐three young adults in a higher education setting underwent a standard eight‐week MBSR program. Eight participants (15%) did not complete the program. Participants reported significant reductions in SAD symptoms and global psychological distress, as well as increases in mindfulness, self‐compassion, and self‐esteem. Using intention‐to‐treat ( ITT ) analyses, effect sizes ranged from large to moderate for SAD symptoms (Cohen's d = 0.80) and global psychological distress ( d = 0.61). Completer analyses yielded large effect sizes for SAD symptoms ( d = 0.96) and global psychological distress ( d = 0.81). The largest effect sizes were found for self‐compassion ( d = 1.49) and mindfulness ( d = 1.35). Two thirds of the participants who were in the clinical range at pretreatment reported either clinically significant change (37%) or reliable improvement (31%) on SAD symptoms after completing the MBSR program, and almost two thirds reported either clinically significant change (37%) or reliable improvement (26%) on global psychological distress. MBSR may be a beneficial intervention for young adults in higher education with SAD , and there is a need for more research on mindfulness and acceptance‐based interventions for SAD .