The Effects of a Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy Program for Social Anxiety in Female Adolescents

The aim of the present study was to develop a cognitive-behavioral group therapy program for social anxiety in Korean adolescents and to examine its efficacy through pre-, post- and 2-year follow-up tests. The program included cognitive restructuring, exposure training and social skills training. KSAS-A and SASC-R were administered to 588 1st grade middle-school female students to assess their social anxiety levels. On the basis of double criteria procedure(top 10% scores on both scales), 59 students were selected initially. Individuals currently receiving clinical treatment were excluded. Finally, 40 students were selected and randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a wait-list control group. The program consisted of 12 weekly sessions, approximately 1.5-2 hours in duration. Whereas pre- and post-tests were administered to both groups, follow-up tests were administered to the treatment group only. The collected data were statistically analyzed through independent t-test and paired t-test. The results of the study were as follows: 1) At post-test students in the treatment group showed a very significant reduction in social anxiety and fear of negative evaluation by others in comparison with those in the wait-list group. 2) At post-test students in the treatment group showed a significant reduction in negative automatic thoughts in comparison with those in the wait-list group. 3) At post-test students in the treatment group showed a significant improvement in overall social skills in comparison with those in the wait-list group. 4) At post-test students in the wait-list group showed a significant increase in both social anxiety and negative automatic thoughts in comparison with those in the treatment group. 5) At 3-month, 1-year and 2-year follow-ups, the program's effectiveness was maintained.