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Cited by 58Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesDigital Mental Health InterventionsPsychological Treatments and Assessments

Internet Treatment for Social Phobia Reduces Comorbidity

Titov, Nickolai, Gibson, Matthew, Andrews, Gavin, McEvoy, Peter·2009·Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
DOI 10.1080/00048670903001992
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Abstract

Objective: Social phobia can be treated by brief Internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). Most people with social phobia, however, meet criteria for another mental disorder; this comorbidity is associated with significant disability, and cases of comorbidity may be more difficult to treat. The present study examined the impact of the Shyness programme, an Internet-based treatment programme for social phobia, on comorbid symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Method: Data from three randomized controlled trials using the Shyness programme to treat social phobia were reanalysed. The 211 subjects, all of whom met DSM-IV criteria for social phobia, were divided into four groups: (i) social phobia only; (ii) social phobia with elevated symptoms of depression; (iii) social phobia with elevated symptoms of generalized anxiety; and (iv) social phobia with elevated symptoms of both generalized anxiety and depression. The improvement in social phobia, depression and anxiety following Internet-based treatment for social phobia was measured. Results: Improvement in social phobia was seen in all groups, whether comorbid or not. Significant improvements in comorbid symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety occurred even though the treatment was focused on the social phobia. Conclusions: Brief Internet-based CBT can reduce both the target disorder as well as comorbid symptoms. These findings are consistent with evidence that unified or transdiagnostic programmes may reduce the severity of comorbid disorders and symptoms, indicating an important direction for future research.

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Crossref · 10.1080/00048670903001992

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35 of 35 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • One limitation of many previous iCBT trials on anxiety and depression is that they targeted specific disorders and that comorbid disorders could either be affected without being directly addressed or remain undetected and unchanged.

    “One limitation of many previous iCBT trials on anxiety and depression is that they targeted specific disorders and that comorbid disorders could either be affected without being directly addressed or remain undetected and unchanged [15].”

    From Individually Tailored Internet-Based Treatment for Young Adults and Adults With Panic Attacks: Randomized Controlled Trial (2012) · cites this paper as [15]

  • Internet-delivered treatments for anxiety disorders have included interventions for panic disorder, SAD, SP, and posttraumatic stress and have established findings that support their potential effectiveness and efficacy.

    “Internet-delivered treatments for anxiety disorders have included interventions for panic disorder, SAD, SP, and posttraumatic stress and they have established findings that support their potential effectiveness and efficacy [43-47].”

    From Low-intensity internet-delivered treatment for generalized anxiety symptoms in routine care: protocol for a randomized controlled trial (2014) · cites this paper as [47]

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Authors
Titov, N., Gibson, M., Andrews, G., & McEvoy, P.
Affiliations
  • UNSW Sydney (AU)
  • Centre for Clinical Interventions (AU)
Corresponding author
Titov, Nickolai
ORCID
Venue
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2009-01-01
Volume
43
Issue
8
Pages
754-759
ISSN
  • 0004-8674 (ISSN-L)
  • 1440-1614
DOI
10.1080/00048670903001992
OpenAlex
W1977684292
Semantic Scholar
241b87c71d35092eea7814da1d6a105d31e49640
Cited by
58
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 8
FWCI
8.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eSpace (Curtin University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
Keywords
social anxiety disorder, internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy, comorbidities, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, transdiagnostic treatment
MeSH terms
Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Phobic Disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Treatment Outcome, Internet

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