Contribution of cognitive therapy in the treatment of adolescents with generalized social phobia

The goal in the current study was to analyze the relative effectiveness of cognitive restructuring (CR) as a component of the treatment protocol Intervention for Adolescents with Social Phobia (AIFS; Olivares, 2005). This program has shown effectiveness in adolescents with this disorder. The sample included 50 Spanish adolescents (74% girls) between 13 and 17 years (M= 14.60), who met the criteria for social phobia of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The participants were randomly assigned to IAFS multicomponent package or to IAFS multicomponent package without cognitive therapy. Results showed nonsignificant differences between the two experimental conditions after intervention in both specific avoidance/anxiety measures and in other related constructs (assertiveness, self-esteem and adjustment). We conclude tentatively that RC sessions are not the most relevant component to improve social phobia in adolescents who were treated with the AIFS program, given the absence of significant differences. Nevertheless, further research is needed.