Abstract
Objective: The current study examined mediators and moderators of treatment response among children and adolescents (ages 7-17 years) with a primary diagnosis of social phobia. Method: Participants were 88 youths participating in one of two randomized controlled treatment trials of Social Effectiveness Therapy for Children. Potential mediators included changes in observer-rated social skill and child-reported loneliness after 12 weeks of Social Effectiveness Therapy for Children. Age and depressive symptoms were examined as potential moderators. Results: Loneliness scores and social effectiveness during a role-play task predicted changes in social anxiety and overall functioning at posttreatment. Changes in social anxiety were mediated by child-reported loneliness. Outcomes were not moderated by age or depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Findings support the role of loneliness as an important mechanism of change during treatment for childhood social phobia.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 945-953 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
Volume | 48 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2009 |
Keywords
- mediators
- moderators
- social phobia
- treatment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health