Understanding what maintains social anxiety disorder in children
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding what maintains social anxiety disorder in children
IRAS ID
209508
Contact name
Cathy Creswell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Reading
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common mental health disorders among children. Although SAD typically starts in adolescence, SAD is present in approximately 45% of pre-adolescent children referred for treatment for an anxiety disorder. Critically, SAD is linked with serious long term consequences, such as depression and substance abuse, as well as impacting on educational and occupational prospects later in life.
Existing disorder specific Cognitive Behavioural Treatments (CBT) for childhood SAD are based on the assumption that children with SAD have social skills deficits and, as such, emphasise training social skills. While generally efficacious, 30-50% of children still remain socially anxious after treatment, suggesting that existing treatments may not target the psychological mechanisms that keep the problem going.
Highly effective CBT programmes have been developed for adults with SAD which target clearly defined psychological maintenance mechanisms - showing recovery rates up to 84%. In contrast to child specific treatments for SAD, there is no emphasis on training adults’ social skills within these treatments. Instead it is hypothesised that adults with SAD erroneously perceive their social skills to be poor.
To date, limited research has been conducted to investigate what psychological processes play a role in maintaining childhood SAD. Furthermore, it remains controversial whether children with SAD have social skills deficits or if their social performance is inhibited because of their social anxiety. This study specifically aims to (i) identify whether children with social anxiety disorder have social skills deficits that are independent from interrupted social performance due to social anxiety, and, (ii) gain an in-depth understanding of what socially anxious children experience in social situations by interviewing them. The outcome of this study will further understanding of the psychological mechanisms that are involved in maintaining childhood SAD.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SC/0463
Date of REC Opinion
21 Oct 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion