Back to Search
Start Over
Impacts of imagery-enhanced versus verbally-based cognitive behavioral group therapy on psychophysiological parameters in social anxiety disorder: Results from a randomized-controlled trial.
- Source :
-
Behaviour Research & Therapy . Aug2022, Vol. 155, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p. - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with marked physiological reactivity in social-evaluative situations. However, objective measurement of biomarkers is rarely evaluated in treatment trials, despite potential utility in clarifying disorder-specific physiological correlates. This randomized controlled trial sought to examine the differential impact of imagery-enhanced vs. verbal-based cognitive behavioral group therapy (IE-CBGT, n = 53; VB-CBGT, n = 54) on biomarkers of emotion regulation and arousal during social stress in people with SAD (pre- and post-treatment differences in heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance). We acquired psychophysiological data from randomized participants across four social stress test phases (baseline, speech preparation, speech, interaction) at pre-treatment, and 1- and 6-months post-treatment. Analyses revealed that IE-CBGT selectively attenuated heart rate as indexed by increases in median heart rate interval (median-RR) compared to VB-CBGT at post-treatment, whereas one HRV index showed a larger increase in the VB-CBGT condition before but not after controlling for median-RR. Other psychophysiological indices did not differ between conditions. Lower sympathetic arousal in the IE-CBGT condition may have obviated the need for parasympathetic downregulation, whereas the opposite was true for VB-CBGT. These findings provide preliminary insights into the impact of imagery-enhanced and verbally-based psychotherapy for SAD on emotion regulation biomarkers. • People with social anxiety report marked physiological arousal in social situations. • Physiological change is rarely reported in treatment studies. • RCT of imagery vs. verbal group CBT investigated physiological change. • Imagery-enhanced CBT led to lower sympathetic arousal under stress post-treatment. • Findings provide insight into biomarkers of emotion regulation in social anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00057967
- Volume :
- 155
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Behaviour Research & Therapy
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 157419060
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2022.104131