Psychotherapy for social phobia. Changes in well-being after cognitive behavioral therapy in comparison to a combined resource-oriented approach

Abstract

Background: Even though it is known that social anxiety disorders are associated with low well-being, few studies have investigated the effect of symptom-focused interventions on patients’ well-being. Objective: How far does psychotherapy for patients with social anxiety contribute to an increase in patients’ well-being? Is a treatment that includes an additional focus on the patients’ resources more effective than a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy approach concerning the improvement in patients’ well-being? Method: Within a randomized controlled study with patients suffering from social phobia (N = 62) the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in comparison to a combined resource-oriented cognitive behavioral treatment (CROT) on optimism, sense of coherence, self-acceptance, and life satisfaction was investigated using repeated measure MANOVAs. Results: In both treatment conditions significant increases in optimism, self-acceptance, and sense of coherence and a decline in pessimism occurred. Life satisfaction increased more in the combined treatment condition than in the CBT-alone condition. Conclusions: Disorder-specific treatment approaches seem to evoke not only symptomrelated improvements but also to enhance patients’ well-being.