Cognitive and metacognitive predictors of symptom improvement following treatment for social anxiety disorder: A secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial.

This study examined change in negative cognitive and negative metacognitive beliefs as independent correlates of symptom improvement in 46 SAD patients undergoing evidence-based treatments. Both types of beliefs decreased during treatment. However, change in metacognitive belief was the only consistent independent predictor across all outcomes and change in cognitive beliefs did not significantly predict outcomes when change in self-consciousness was controlled. The implication of this finding is that metacognitive change might be more important than cognitive belief change in symptom outcome and recovery in SAD. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Cognitive and metacognitive beliefs decreased during treatment of SAD. Change in self-consciousness predicted symptom improvement. Change in metacognition predicted symptom improvement over change in cognition. Change in metacognition was a more reliable predictor than change in cognition. PMID: 28295802 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Clin Psychol Psychother Source Type: research