Dysfunctional Attention Processes in Fear of Blushing: Specificity and Changeability

Phobia, Social Clinical Trial

Official title:

Clinical Specificity of Dysfunctional Habitual Attention Processes in Fear of Blushing and Their Changeability

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00751465
• Other study ID #: EK198082007
• Secondary ID: DFG HO1900/5-1
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: September 11, 2008
• Last updated: September 10, 2015
• Start date: November 2008
• Est. completion date: December 2010

Study information

• Verified date: September 2015
• Source: Technische Universität Dresden
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Germany: Ethics Commission
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Blushing is associated with a heightened self-focused attention. In our study we are interested if this self-focused attention can be shown experimentally and if it can be changed by therapy and training. For the experimental part of the study, we want to compare blushing fearful individuals to social anxious participants who are not fearful of blushing and to healthy controls who report to blush either seldom or quite often. In the therapeutical part of our study, we compare an attention training to the standard cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder in an intensive group therapy approach.

Description:

Fear of blushing is a specific syndrome in social anxiety disorder. Although attentional biases for social anxiety disorders have often been reported, specific data for fear of blushing are still missing. In this study, dysfunctional attention processes are examined by the use of various questionnaire measures and attention tests (e.g. Stroop test, task switching paradigm) comparing fear of blushers, other social phobia patients, healthy volunteers who report to blush seldomly respectively often. The second goal of the study is to examine if these attention processes can be changed by training and therapy. Therefore, individuals who fulfill DSM-IV criteria for social anxiety disorder and report fear of blushing as main problem, are treated with attention training and with CBT for social anxiety disorder. Therapy will be held in the form of intensive weekend group therapy. Differences in outcomes for both therapy types and in changeability of attention processes on objective test data are examined. Stability of results are tested up to 6-month and 12-month after post-assessment.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 82
• Est. completion date: December 2010
• Est. primary completion date: December 2010
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years to 70 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Social anxiety disorder (DSM-IV criteria) and fear of blushing as main complaint

• age: 18-70

Exclusion Criteria:

• acute severe depression or bipolar disorder

• any disorder of ICD group F2

• acute and severe substance misuse

• any bodily illness which hinders from study participation

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Phobia, Social

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Task Concentration Training
Task Concentration Training TCT following Bögels et al. (1997).
• Standard CBT
Standard CBT following the Clark-and-Wells (1995) model of social anxiety disorder, relying on the German manual for SAD (stangier et al., 2006). Includes the model, role-plays with and without safetey behavior, video-feedback.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Germany	TU Dresden	Dresden

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Technische Universität Dresden	German Research Foundation

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Germany, 

References & Publications (1)

Chaker S, Hofmann SG, Hoyer J. Can a one-weekend group therapy reduce fear of blushing? Results of an open trial. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2010 May;23(3):303-18. doi: 10.1080/10615800903075132. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Brief Social Phobia Scale	Brief Social Phobia Scale BSPS is an interview assessing fear and avoidance in seven social situations and severity of four bodily symptoms.	pre, within, post, 6-months, and 12-months follow-up	No
Secondary	Social Phobia Composite	The social phobia composite includes several self-report measures like the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Social Phobia Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, and Social Phobia Inventory.	pre, within, post, 6-months, and 12-months follow-up	No
Secondary	Changes in objective attention test data		within, post, 6-months follow-up	No