Effectiveness of Combined Group Exposure Therapy and Coping with Stress Skills Training on Social Anxiety Rate of University Students

The aim of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of combined group exposure therapy and coping with stress skills training on social anxiety rate of university students. The research was quasi -experimental comprising of two groups with pre-test and post-test. The statistical population included all university students in the academic year of 2011-2012 in Payamnoor University Branch of Rabor. From among voluntary students, 60 students were selected with administration of Social Phobia Questionnaire (Cannor, 2000) and structured clinical interview for social anxiety, based on diagnostic criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4 th edn). Then, 20 students were randomly assigned to two groups (experimental and control groups). The experimental group participated in ten, 2-hours sessions of group exposure therapy accompanied with coping with stress skills training; however, the control group received no intervention. At the end of intervention, the social phobia questionnaire was administered as post-test and two months later as the follow up, The results of analysis of covariance revealed a significant deference in social phobia scores of both groups (P≤0.0001) and mean scores of social phobia was higher in control group than in the intervention group both at the post test and follow up stages. The results of this research emphasize on the effectiveness of combined group treatments (exposure therapy and control of stress) on the treatment of social anxiety disorder.