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A Preliminary Examination of Treatment Barriers, Preferences, and Histories of Women with Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2023

Julie. A. Black ,
Josephine Paparo Open the ORCID record for Josephine Paparo [Opens in a new window]  and
Bethany M. Wootton Open the ORCID record for Bethany M. Wootton [Opens in a new window]
Julie. A. Black
Affiliation:
Discipline of Clinical Psychology, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Josephine Paparo
Affiliation:
Discipline of Clinical Psychology, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
Bethany M. Wootton*
Affiliation:
Discipline of Clinical Psychology, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Bethany M. Wootton, Email: bethany.wootton@uts.edu.au
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Abstract

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common mental health condition that is characterised by a persistent fear of social or performance situations. Despite effective treatments being available, many individuals with SAD do not seek treatment or delay treatment seeking for many years. The aim of the present study was to examine treatment barriers, treatment histories, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) delivery preferences in a sample of women with clinically relevant SAD symptoms. Ninety-nine women (Mage = 34.90, SD = 11.28) completed the online questionnaires and were included in the study. Participants were recruited from advertisements on community noticeboards and posts on social media. The results demonstrated that less than 5% of those who received psychological treatment in the past were likely to have received best-practice CBT. The most commonly cited barriers to accessing treatment for women with SAD related to direct costs (63%) and indirect costs (e.g., transport/childcare) (28%). The most preferred treatment delivery method overall was individual face-to-face treatment (70%). The study demonstrates a need to provide a variety of treatment options in order to enhance access to empirically supported treatment for women with SAD.

Keywords

social phobiasocial anxiety disordertreatment barriershelp-seeking
Type
Standard Paper
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 40 , Issue 4 , December 2023 , pp. 267 - 277
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy

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