Text Message Safety Behavior Fading for Social Anxiety

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The current study aims to explore the efficacy of a text message based Safety Behavior Fading Intervention compared to an active control intervention.

Detailed Description
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Safety behavior fading may be a viable standalone intervention for social anxiety. In the present trial, participants high in social anxiety will be randomized to either receive a daily checklist exercise aimed at eliminating (1) safety behaviors or (2) unhealthy behaviors. Individuals randomly assigned to the safety behavior fading condition will receive instructions to decrease or eliminate their four most habitual social anxiety safety behaviors. In addition, they will receive daily reminders via text message to decrease these behaviors, along with a safety behavior monitoring checklist in which the participant indicates the extent to which they decreased and/or eliminated each safety behavior over the previous day. Individuals randomly assigned to the control condition will receive similar text messages and a daily checklist to encourage fading of unhealthy behaviors. Participants in both conditions will complete checklists for 28 days. After day 14 of treatment, participants will re-select their target safety behaviors or unhealthy behaviors, and will then be prompted to reduce these new behaviors for another 14 days.

Official Title
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Text Message Safety Behavior Fading Intervention for Social Anxiety

Conditions
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Social Anxiety

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Safety Behavior Fading for Social Anxiety
* Behavioral: Unhealthy Behavior Fading


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Social Phobia Inventory Score >29 Stable Psychotropic Medications for 4 weeks prior to participation Exclusion Criteria: Currently participating in psychotherapy for social anxiety

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 65 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: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Participants will be randomized in to one of two conditions
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Experimental: Safety Behavior Fading<br>This treatment lasts a total of 28 days. Participants will be asked to identify their four most common safety behaviors, from a list of 30 possible safety behaviors related to social anxiety. Participants will then be shown a sample checklist with instructions to fill it out. For the next 14 days, participants will receive the following text message Please remember to avoid using SBs you selected. As you drop them, you'll be able to go into social situations with greater confidence! with a link for their daily checklist to complete. Participants will be asked to rate how often they engaged in each SB over the past 24 hours. After 14 days, participants will be asked to re-select their target safety behaviors and continue to reduce them over the next 14 days. | Behavioral: Safety Behavior Fading for Social Anxiety<br>* Participants are asked to reduce or eliminate safety behaviors via text message reminders and checklists to monitor progress.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Unhealthy Behavior Fading<br>This treatment lasts a total of 28 days. Participants will be asked to identify their four most common unhealthy behaviors, from a list of 12 possible unhealthy behaviors. Participants will then be shown a sample checklist with instructions to fill it out. For the next 14 days, participants will receive the following text message Please remember to avoid using UBs you selected. As you drop them, you'll be able to go into social situations with greater confidence! with a link for their daily checklist to complete. Participants will be asked to rate how often they engaged in each unhealthy behavior over the past 24 hours. After 14 days, participants will be asked to re-select their target unhealthy behaviors and continue to reduce them over the next 14 days. | Behavioral: Unhealthy Behavior Fading<br>* Participants are asked to reduce or eliminate unhealthy behaviors via text message reminders and checklists to monitor progress.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) | Self-report scale that measures Social anxiety symptoms. Scores range from 0 to 68 with higher scores indicating higher levels of social anxiety symptoms. | Time Frame: Day 0, Day 14, Day 28, Day 56 | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Center For Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Ten Item Version (CESD-10) | A 10-item self-report scale measuring depression symptoms; higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms. | Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56 | 
| Change in UCLA Loneliness Scale, Short Form (ULS-8) | An 8-item self-report measure of subjective loneliness, with higher scores indicating greater loneliness. | Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56 | 
| Change in Self-Beliefs Related to Social Anxiety Scale (SBSA) | A 15-item scale measuring common and generally maladaptive beliefs related to social anxiety. | Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56 | 
| Change in Subtle Avoidance Frequency Examination (SAFE) scale | A 32-item self-report measure of safety behavior usage frequency | Time Frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Social Anxiety, Safety Behaviors, Intervention, Text-message