Therapy for public speaking anxiety using mood treatments

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This clinical trial investigates the effectiveness of exposure therapy for individuals with social anxiety disorder and public speaking anxiety. Participants will be randomized to receive either a positive mood treatment or a relaxation treatment before undergoing exposure therapy. The study aims to determine how these preliminary treatments influence the success of exposure therapy, particularly in individuals who also experience anhedonia, which can hinder fear extinction. By addressing reward processing deficits, the trial seeks to enhance the efficacy of exposure therapy for anxiety disorders.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of social anxiety disorder from the Structural Clinical Interview for DSM 5.
* Elevated fear of public speaking, defined as a score of \>= 66 (+1SD from the mean of population norms on a scale of 17-85) on the Public Speaking Anxiety Scale (PSAS; Bartholomay, E. M., \& Houlihan, D. D. (2016). Public Speaking Anxiety Scale: Preliminary psychometric data and scale validation. Personality and individual differences, 94, 211-215), which is a self-report scale measuring anxiety of public speaking.
* Low reward processing, defined as a score of \<56 (less than the population mean) on the Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) (Rizvi, S. J., Quilty, L. C., Sproule, B. A., Cyriac, A., Bagby, R. M., \& Kennedy, S. H. (2015). Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) \[Database record\]. APA PsycTests).
* Medication-free or stabilized on psychotropic medications for a minimum standard length of time (1 month for benzodiazepines and beta blockers, 3 months for SRIs/SNRIs and heterocyclics).
* Psychotherapy-free or stabilized on alternative psychotherapies other than cognitive or behavioral therapies that were not focused on their anxiety disorder for at least 6 months prior to study entry.
* Age 18-60.
* Fluent in English.
* To conduct MRI version of fear conditioning task, must have no MRI contraindications.

Exclusion Criteria (none of the following):

* Recent suicidal ideation with intent or plan - defined as suicidal ideation with intent or plan in the past year.
* Lifetime history of suicide attempts.
* History of bipolar disorder, psychosis, intellectual disability, or organic brain damage.
* Substance use disorder within the last 6 months.
* Major respiratory, cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, or muscular-skeletal diseases.
* Pregnant or planning to become pregnant for next 6 months.

Where it's running

• University of California, Los Angeles
  Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting
• University of California, Los Angeles
  Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Tomislav D Zbozinek, PhD — University of California, Los Angeles
• Study coordinator: Tomislav D Zbozinek, PhD
• Email: tzbozinek@ucla.edu
• Phone: 6027502348

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.