Acceptability and perceived helpfulness of single session mindfulness and cognitive restructuring strategies in individuals with social anxiety disorder: A pilot study.

Cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based interventions are widely used evidence-based treatments for various psychological disorders. Although much research has demonstrated their efficacy and effectiveness, little research has been conducted on patient attitudes toward these treatments, with even less research comparing these interventions directly. The current study examined the acceptability and perceived helpfulness of mindfulness and cognitive restructuring strategies for decreasing postevent processing (PEP; i.e., a period of reflection on a past social event that is typically negative and ruminative in nature) among individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Fifty-eight adults with SAD and speech anxiety completed several questionnaires on their social anxiety symptoms, including their level of discomfort with public speaking, performed an impromptu speech to induce PEP, and were randomly assigned to either a single session of mindfulness, cognitive restructuring, or an active control condition. The following day, participants completed a questionnaire to assess the acceptability and perceived helpfulness of the strategy. Participants in the mindfulness and cognitive restructuring conditions rated the strategies as significantly superior on measures of current and predicted helpfulness, and predicted continued use of the strategy, as compared with the active control condition. As such, mindfulness and cognitive restructuring strategies appear to...
Source: Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research