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An intervention to build social identities improves mental health and wellbeing in people with elevated social anxiety: Evidence from a single-arm clinical trial

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dc.contributor.authorDonaldson, J.L.
dc.contributor.authorRobertson, A.M.
dc.contributor.authorCruwys, T.
dc.contributor.authorRathbone, J.A.
dc.contributor.authorHaslam, C.
dc.contributor.authorChen, J.
dc.contributor.authorDawel, A.
dc.date.issued2025
dc.descriptionFirst published: 21 May 2025
dc.description.abstractObjectives Current best-practice treatments for social anxiety disorder do not directly address loneliness, despite its role in the maintenance of the condition. The current study targets this issue directly, using mixed methods to provide an initial test of the efficacy of an established loneliness intervention, Groups 4 Health (G4H), among 33 people with clinically elevated social anxiety symptoms. Design A single-arm design was used and outcomes were assessed at baseline, programme completion and 5-month follow-up (3 months after programme completion). Methods Loneliness, social anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms and well-being were assessed at each time point. Semi-structured follow-up interviews were also conducted to explore the feasibility and acceptability of G4H in this population. Results Results from intention-to-treat analyses provide initial evidence of the programme's efficacy: participants' loneliness (d = −1.08), social anxiety symptoms (d = −.45), and depression symptoms (d = −.60) reduced significantly from baseline to 5-month follow-up while their well-being (d = 1.00) increased. Four themes emerged from reflexive thematic analysis: (1) the importance of challenging initial anxiety about attending group therapy, (2) the value of being vulnerable with fellow group members, (3) the role of G4H in increasing participants' social confidence, and (4) processes which both helped and hindered participants' ability to engage with their group. Conclusions Together, results suggest that G4H is a promising and innovative treatment option for people with social anxiety, and further controlled evaluation is warranted.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityJessica L. Donaldson, Alysia M. Robertson, Tegan Cruwys, Joanne A. Rathbone, Catherine Haslam, Junwen Chen, Amy Dawel
dc.identifier.citationBritish Journal of Clinical Psychology, The, 2025; 64(4):979-1001
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/bjc.12539
dc.identifier.issn0144-6657
dc.identifier.issn2044-8260
dc.identifier.orcidChen, J. [0000-0003-4870-750X]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/147453
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherWiley
dc.relation.grantNHMRC
dc.rights© 2025 The Author(s). British Journal of Clinical Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12539
dc.subjectgroup memberships
dc.subjectgroup psychotherapy
dc.subjectloneliness
dc.subjectmental health
dc.subjectsocial anxiety
dc.subjectsocial identity
dc.subjectsocial isolation
dc.titleAn intervention to build social identities improves mental health and wellbeing in people with elevated social anxiety: Evidence from a single-arm clinical trial
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished online

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