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Pre- and post-event rumination have been proposed to be key processes involved in the maintenance of social anxiety disorder. While the importance of addressing rumination in treatment is becoming increasingly clear, factors that mediate the relationship between changes in social anxiety and changes in rumination have yet to be investigated. Individuals with social anxiety disorder (N = 82) completed measures that assessed key cognitive and attentional processes of social anxiety, including pre- and post-event rumination, before and after cognitive behavioural treatment. Following treatment there were significant reductions in pre- and post-event rumination in addition to other cognitive and attentional aspects of social anxiety. Mediation analyses revealed that changes in state anxiety and performance and threat appraisals mediated the relationship between changes in social anxiety and pre-event rumination, while only changes in threat appraisals mediated the relationship between changes in social anxiety and post-event rumination. It appears that key cognitive and attentional processes have differing importance when anticipating feared social situations and when reflecting on it afterwards. This suggests that treatment that aims to reduce the role of pre-event rumination needs to consider multiple factors, while threat appraisals particularly need to be addressed when addressing post-event rumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence suggests that video feedback helps improve the accuracy of self-ratings of performance in speech-anxious participants (e.g., Rapee & Hayman, 1996. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34, 315–322.). Evidence also suggests that this effect is stronger for participants who have a more negatively distorted impression of their performance (self-observer discrepancy; Rodebaugh & Chambless, 2002. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 26, 629–644.). Data collected in Rapee and Hayman’s study were analyzed to determine if similar results would be found in this independent sample. Evidence was found for moderating effects of self-observer discrepancy comparable to those shown in Rodebaugh and Chambless. The self-observer discrepancy itself showed relatively weak relationships with general indices of social anxiety, but a very strong relationship with initial self-rating of performance. The results suggest that self-observer discrepancy is a predictor of response to video feedback, and that clinicians may be able to estimate the discrepancy by examining self-rating in conjunction with behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]