Comparison of Disorder-Specific Group CBT and Generic Group CBT in Treating Adolescents with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common disorders in adolescence. It is associated with severe distress, negative long-term consequences, and chronicity. Cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) is the recommended treatment for social anxiety disorder. However, adolescents with social anxiety disorder consistently show poorer outcomes than any other anxiety disorder. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of a disorder-specific group CBT to a generic group CBT in treating adolescents with social anxiety disorder. The disorder-specific group CBT was specifically enhanced for adolescents with social anxiety disorder, while the generic group CBT was based on traditional CBT methods designed for all types of anxiety disorders. Ninety adolescents aged 12-17 with social anxiety disorder as their primary disorder participated in the randomized controlled trial. Semi-structured diagnostic interviews and questionnaires were completed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. The disorder-specific group CBT and the generic group CBT showed no significant difference over time. However, both the disorder-specific group CBT and the generic group CBT showed significant improvements in outcomes over time equivalent to medium to large effect sizes. These results indicated that, regardless of treatment condition, the group format exclusively for adolescents with primary social anxiety disorder could be a feasible approach.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier NCT03986827.