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A Randomised Controlled Trial of a Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy Program for Managing Social Anxiety After Acquired Brain Injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Janet Hodgson ,
Skye McDonald ,
Robyn Tate  and
Paul Gertler
Janet Hodgson
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Australia.
Skye McDonald*
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Australia.
Robyn Tate
Affiliation:
University of Sydney, Australia.
Paul Gertler
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Australia.
*
Address for correspondence: Assoc. Professor Skye McDonald, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Despite the prevalence of psychiatric illness in people with acquired brain injury (ABI), there are very few empirically validated studies examining the efficacy of treatments targeting commonly occurring disorders such as depression and anxiety. Using a randomised controlled trial, this study evaluated the efficacy of a cognitive behavioural intervention specifically designed for managing social anxiety following ABI. Twelve brain-injured participants were screened, randomly allocated to either treatment group (TG) or a wait list group (WLG), and proceeded through to the final stages of therapy. The TG received between 9 and 14 hourly, individual sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy. Repeated measures analyses revealed significant improvements in general anxiety, depression and a transient mood measure, tension-anxiety, for the TG when compared to the WLG at posttreatment. These treatment gains were maintained at one-month follow-up. Although in the predicted direction, postintervention improvements in social anxiety and self-esteem for the TG were not significant in comparison with the WLG. This study lends support to the small body of literature highlighting the potential of cognitive behavioural interventions for managing the psychological problems that serve as a barrier to rehabilitation following ABI.

Type
Articles
Information
Brain Impairment , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , 01 December 2005 , pp. 169 - 180
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

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