Probability and cost estimates for social and physical outcomes in Social Phobia and Panic Disorder

Abstract

Individuals with Social Phobia (SP) ( n=23) and Panic Disorder ( n=22), and a non-anxious comparison (NAC) group ( n=62) rated the probability and cost of negative outcomes in the physical and the social domains. Overall, participants rated physical events as less probable but more costly than social events. Compared to the non-anxious group, participants with Social Phobia made significantly higher probability and cost estimates for social events, but not for physical events. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that perceived cost of negative social events was the strongest unique predictor of scores on the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE). Participants with Panic Disorder made significantly higher probability and cost estimates for both physical and social outcomes, compared to non-anxious participants. Both physical probability and social cost estimates predicted scores on the Body Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ). Findings support the disorder-specificity of cognitive biases in Social Phobia, but suggest that individuals with Panic Disorder have a wider range of judgment biases than previously thought.