Attention, Teleconferencing and Social Anxiety

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study involves completing some online assessments and an intervention for social anxiety that all involve interactions with other people on a teleconferencing call.

Official Title
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Investigating Attentional Processes: Teleconferencing and Social Anxiety

Conditions
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Social Anxiety Disorder

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Experimental: Attention Guidance + Exposure
* Behavioral: Active Comparator: Exposure Alone
* Behavioral: Experimental: Attention Control + Exposure


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Age 18-75 Fluent in English because the data collection materials have not yet been standardized in other languages Having access to a computer with a webcam and ability to record audio Personal Report of Communication Apprehension > 80 Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale > 30 Meets DSM-5 Criteria for Social Anxiety Disorder Exclusion Criteria: Significant visual impairment precluding the use of the eye tracking equipment Current, or history of bipolar disorder; current, or history of psychosis

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 75 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Attention Guidance + Exposure<br>Participants will complete teleconferencing-based exposure trials with an attention guidance component. | Behavioral: Experimental: Attention Guidance + Exposure<br>* Participants will receive a brief standardized psychoeducation module, presented via a video recording. Participants will then complete up to 10 analogue teleconferencing calls, each lasting a maximum of two minutes. Between speeches participants will have a 1-minute break. Participants will complete the subjective units of distress scale (SUDS) before and after each speech trial. The experimental attention guidance condition: (1) the intervention rationale will include information about the importance of visually attending to the faces of the audience; (2) participants will be given target audience members to focus their gaze on during the their impromptu response. They will be told that they should look at and focus on the target audience member for the whole response.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Exposure Alone<br>Participants will complete teleconferencing-based exposure trials. | Behavioral: Active Comparator: Exposure Alone<br>* Participants will receive a brief standardized psychoeducation module, presented via a video recording. Participants will then complete up to 10 analogue teleconferencing calls, each lasting a maximum of two minutes. Between speeches participants will have a 1-minute break. Participants will complete the subjective units of distress scale (SUDS) before and after each speech trial.<br>|
| Experimental: Attention Control + Exposure<br>Participants will complete teleconferencing-based exposure trials with an attention control component. | Behavioral: Experimental: Attention Control + Exposure<br>* Participants will receive a brief standardized psychoeducation module, presented via a video recording. F Participants will then complete up to 10 analogue teleconferencing calls, each lasting a maximum of two minutes. During each call participants will be prompted by one of the audience members. Between speeches participants will have a 1-minute break. Participants will complete the subjective units of distress scale (SUDS) before and after each speech trial. The experimental attention control condition: (1) the intervention rationale will include information about the importance of attention control; (2) participants will be given target at the center of the screen to focus their gaze on during the their impromptu response. They will be told that they should look at and focus on the target for the whole response.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal Report of Communication Apprehension Questionnaire | Assessment of communication concerns, range of scores is 24-120; higher scores are worse | prior to the first treatment session, an average of 2 days | 
| Personal Report of Communication Apprehension Questionnaire | Assessment of communication concerns, range of scores is 24-120; higher scores are worse | through study completion, an average of 2 weeks | 
| Personal Report of Communication Apprehension Questionnaire | Assessment of communication concerns, range of scores is 24-120; higher scores are worse | 1-week follow-up | 
| Personal Report of Communication Apprehension Questionnaire | Assessment of communication concerns, range of scores is 24-120; higher scores are worse | 2-week follow-up | 
| Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale Questionnaire | Assessment of general social anxiety, range of scores is 0-144; higher scores are worse | prior to the first treatment session, an average of 2 days | 
| Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale Questionnaire | Assessment of general social anxiety, range of scores is 0-144; higher scores are worse | through study completion, an average of 2 weeks | 
| Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale Questionnaire | Assessment of general social anxiety, range of scores is 0-144; higher scores are worse | 1-week follow-up | 
| Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale Questionnaire | Assessment of general social anxiety, range of scores is 0-144; higher scores are worse | 2-week follow-up |