Abstract
Social anxiety disorder is a debilitating disorder that affects a large percentage of the population in the United States. Standard treatment of social anxiety disorder includes anxiolytic medications and cognitive behavior therapy. However, not all people respond positively to, or are willing to undergo, these treatments. Research on alternative treatments, therefore, is important for providing clients an increased array of treatment options to meet a diverse set of needs. Analyses were performed upon secondary data originally gathered at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Participants were randomized into two treatment groups: mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and aerobic exercise (AE). Each intervention lasted nine weeks, and included both group and individual components. Self-report assessments were completed at baseline, immediately following treatment (post-treatment), and at a 3-month follow-up visit. Social anxiety symptom severity was assessed using the Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale – Self Report (LSAS-SR). Social cost biases were assessed using the Social Cost Questionnaire (SCQ). Two factor mixed ANOVA analyses were performed on group (MBSR and AE) and time (baseline and post-treatment), with LSAS-SR, LSAS-SR subscores of fear and avoidance, and SCQ as dependent variables. All four assessments showed main effects of time (all p’s < 0.0005), but not of group (all p’s > 0.444). There were no significant group by time interactions with any of the measures. Similar analyses with time points at post-treatment and 3-month follow-up revealed no main effects of time, group, or group by time interactions, indicating that participants maintained symptom improvements from both treatments. SCQ improvements did not correlate with LSAS-SR improvements within each group. The study furthers the evidence base of the efficacy of MBSR, and surprisingly AE, on the treatment of social anxiety disorder.