For those who live with social anxiety, the prospect of attending social events or interacting with others can be incredibly daunting. Even the simplest interactions can be a struggle, and many find themselves paralyzed by fear. If this is something you can relate to, you may have heard the suggestion to “fake it til you … Read More about Can You Fake It Til You Make It?
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Americans are increasingly anxious, and a flurry of companies and opportunistic entrepreneurs aim to fill the demand for relief.
Background
Social anxiety (SA), a prevalent comorbid condition in psychotic disorders with a negative impact on functioning, requires adequate intervention relatively early. Using a randomized controlled trial, we tested the efficacy of a group cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention for SA (CBT-SA) that we developed for youth who experienced the first episode of psychosis (FEP). For our primary outcome, we hypothesized that compared to the active control of group cognitive remediation (CR), the CBT-SA group would show a reduction in SA that would be maintained at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. For secondary outcomes, it was hypothesized that the CBT-SA group would show a reduction of positive and negative symptoms and improvements in recovery and functioning.
Method
Ninety-six patients with an FEP and SA, recruited from five different FEP programs in the Montreal area, were randomized to 13 weekly group sessions of either CBT-SA or CR intervention.
Results
Linear mixed models revealed that multiple measures of SA significantly reduced over time, but with no significant group differences. Positive and negative symptoms, as well as functioning improved over time, with negative symptoms and functioning exhibiting a greater reduction in the CBT-SA group.
Conclusions
While SA decreased over time with both interventions, a positive effect of the CBT-SA intervention on measures of negative symptoms, functioning, and self-reported recovery at follow-up suggests that our intervention had a positive effect that extended beyond symptoms specific to SA.
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02294409.
Researchers found college students who tried to cut their social media use to 30 minutes per day scored significantly lower for anxiety, depression, loneliness and fear of missing out at the end of the two-week experiment and when compared to the control group.
This article examined the impact of online education on the wellbeing and emotional health of college students. It considered the social value of stress and anxiety pathology as “normal” side effects throughout the COVID-19 lockdown. Factors appropriate for educational technology were selected and submitted for evaluation to a sample of 114 college students in a semi-structured questionnaire. This research found that educational content and delivery methods, as well as increased homework and time spent online, have potentially contributed to heightened levels of stress, depression, and social anxiety disorder among approximately one-third of students who have engaged in digital learning. The results also prove that young people were particularly susceptible to stress and social anxiety disorders during the lockdown, making them one of the most vulnerable social groups. To enhance the educational experience, several suggestions have been proposed, including adapting educational content, expanding Internet accessibility, providing appropriate homework, and adjusting schedules to accommodate students’ educational capabilities. Voluntary routine mental health assessments of students, teachers, and staff and customized online counseling for vulnerable subjects are recommended as primary health care measures during online education.
Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, Volume 23, Issue 2, Page 334-348, June 2023.
I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting since 2020. Most of that reflection is done in the mirror, incidentally. For more than three years I had denied my body the nutrition it needed to function. My teeth broke, my hair thinned, as I did, and then it fell out in loud clumps in the shower. My periods stopped as my body tried to distribute the few calories I was giving it to my vital functions. My blood pressure plummeted. My social life disintegrated as I turned down offers of gatherings out of fear there would be food I couldn’t avoid. My feet bled in my shoes from excessive walking. I ruptured a tendon in my fist from over-exercising. I was constantly cold and miserable. But I was beautiful. They said.
Communication Research, Ahead of Print. Selective exposure literature indicates that not all users take away the same messages from their media exposure; it is suggested that viewers are not merely exposed but rather reactive to multiple—and possibly opposing—messages. The current study aims to introduce an active media-processing perspective, focusing specifically on the media-body image association among an early adolescent sample. Results of a three-wave longitudinal survey among 971 early adolescents (Mage = 11.14; SD = 1.13) show that media-focused peer interactions (W1), but not media exposure (W1), were associated with contradictory perceptions of attractiveness (i.e., perceived benefits and perceived costs for investing in appearance) (W2). Polynomial regression analyses pointed out that the association between these contradictory perceptions (i.e., interaction between benefits and costs; W2) was curvilinearily related to body image investment (W3). The findings emphasize the variable vulnerability of adolescents to the media effect and the importance of acknowledging multi-layered media messages.
The COVID-19 has had a major impact on the global education system. In order to ensure the normal implementation of education courses, governments and education departments around the world have taken corresponding emergency measures. Based on data from 384 validated questionnaires, this study explored the effects of teleworking practices, work intensity, and online social support on social anxiety among primary and secondary school teachers. The results found that teleworking was more likely to cause social anxiety among teachers, while work intensity could promote social anxiety and online social support could reduce the probability of social anxiety. Work intensity can weaken the influence of partner support on social anxiety. Moreover, the model path coefficients differed across work styles. Based on the results, this study proposes some policy recommendations in order to provide theoretical guidance for improving social anxiety among primary and secondary school teachers and promoting the quality of educational work.
Mood and anxiety disorders are believed to stem from an imbalance among neurons in the brain’s emotional hubs instead of areas responsible for higher thought processes. They are situated in the frontal lobe, which is said to be the most recently evolved part of our brains. Furthermore, evidence shows that the brain mechanisms engaged during …
