A preliminary study of internet-based cognitive behavior therapy intervent medical university students' social anxiety

Abstract

Objective To analyze the internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) intervent medical university students' social anxiety, and provide experiences and theoretical basis for future social anxiety interventions. Methods 45 medical students of social anxiety were voluntarily divided into the one-to-one intervention group, one-to-five intervention group and control group. The control group did not intervene, one-to-one intervention group and one-to-five intervention group were interfered single person or team by cognitive behavioral therapy, respectively. The level and symptom of social anxiety of the 3 groups were assessed before and after the intervention by social phobia inventory(SPIN) and Social anxiety symptoms interview inventory. Results After the intervention, the scores of SPIN and the 3 subscales within it (fear, avoidance and physiological) of one-to-one ICBT group and one-to-five ICBT group were lower than those of the control group (SPIN scores: one-to-one ICBT group 15.60±7.87, one-to-five ICBT group 14.87±8.83, control group 20.20±11.46). Variance analysis showed that, in addition to physiological subscale(F=0.641, P>0.05), the scores of SPIN, fear and avoidance subscales had significant differences among the 3 groups (F=3.764, P=0.018; F=3.606, P=0.021; F=5.444, P=0.005). In the analysis of participants' social anxiety symptoms, after treatment, in one-to-one ICBT group, there was 1 participant changed into subthreshold social anxiety and 1 participant into normal in the 2 threshold social anxiety participants. All the 3 subthreshold social anxiety participants changed into normal. In one-to-five ICBT group, there was 1 threshold social anxiety participant lapsed to subthreshold social anxiety, 1 subthreshold social anxiety participants still remained in subthreshold social anxiety, 2 symptomatic social anxiety participants changed into normal. But there were no significant changes in control group. Conclusions All the two methods of intervention have a certain effect.The effect of one-to-one intervention therapy is most significant. Key words: Medical students; Social anxiety; Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy