The Role of Mental Imagery on Approach Motivation and Behavioral Engagement in Social Anxiety
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 136
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Motivation
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Efficacy of an online intervention aimed at enhancing both approach motivation and behavioral engagement in facing anxiety-provoking social situations among individuals with heightened social anxiety is investigated. Upon receiving psychoeducation, participants will either undergo a prospective mental-imagery task or no additional task. The intervention's efficacy will be assessed by ratings of experienced and expected pleasure, approach motivation as well as self-reported engagement with feared situation one week later.
Detailed Description
Although exposure therapy is widely considered the gold standard for treating anxiety disorders, its effectiveness is often hindered by treatment discontinuation. Many individuals avoid facing feared situations, yet exposure is crucial for successful extinction learning. Therefore, there is a need for strategies to enhance both approach motivation and behavioral engagement in anxiety-provoking situations. Within the depression literature, imagery-based interventions have already gained some support in increasing motivation and behavioral engagement in pleasurable activities through enhancement of reward anticipation as well as anticipatory and anticipated pleasure ('motivational amplifier' hypothesis). Considering that social anxiety is characterized by disruptions in motivational and reward processes, prospective mental imagery may strengthen approach motivation and behavioral engagement in exposure to socially feared situations. Thus, the present online study will investigate the effect of a prospective mental-imagery task on approach motivation and behavioral engagement in socially anxious individuals. Following psychoeducation, participants in the experimental group will vividly imagine having successfully mastered the fear-provoking situation. The control group will receive only psychoeducation. Approach motivation as well as reward anticipation, anticipated and anticipatory pleasure will be assessed before and after the psychoeducation and imagery task. Engagement with the feared social situation will be assessed one week later. The aim of this randomized controlled trial in healthy individuals with heightened social anxiety is to investigate whether prospective mental imagery is effective in enhancing self-reported motivation and engagement with feared situation compared to a psychoeducation-only control group. In an exploratory analysis, we will investigate whether individuals' levels of reward sensitivity and anhedonia influence the effectiveness of prospective imagery training.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Single (Participant)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Elevated score on Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN) > 6
Exclusion Criteria
- Not provided
Arms & Interventions
Psychoeducation + Prospective Mental-Imagery Task
Prospective mental imagery of post-exposure experience
Intervention: Psychoeducation (Behavioral)
Psychoeducation + Prospective Mental-Imagery Task
Prospective mental imagery of post-exposure experience
Intervention: Prospective Mental Imagery (Behavioral)
Psychoeducation
Intervention: Psychoeducation (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Motivation
Time Frame: Baseline (prior to the assigned intervention) and immediately post-intervention (following prospective mental imagery or psychoeducation)
Self-reported motivation to approach the feared situation on a scale of 0 (not at all) to 100 (extremely).
Frequency of Exposure
Time Frame: Post-treatment (i.e., 7 days after baseline)
Self-reported frequency of exposure to the feared situation. Scale: 0 to 10, indicating the frequency of exposure to the feared situation.
Anticipatory Pleasure
Time Frame: Baseline (prior to the assigned intervention) and immediately post-intervention (following prospective mental imagery or psychoeducation)
2-item questionnaire on a scale 0 (not at all) to 100 (extremely) assessing current pleasure when imaging approaching and having approached the feared situation.
Anticipated Pleasure
Time Frame: Baseline (prior to the assigned intervention) and immediately post-intervention (following prospective mental imagery or psychoeducation)
2-item questionnaire on a scale 0 (not at all) to 100 (extremely) assessing expected pleasure when approaching and having approached the feared situation.
Reward Anticipation
Time Frame: Baseline (prior to the assigned intervention) and immediately post-intervention (following prospective mental imagery or psychoeducation)
2-item questionnaire on a scale 0 (not at all) to 100 (extremely) assessing expected reward related to approaching and having approached the feared situation.
Secondary Outcomes
- Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN)(Change from baseline to post-treatment (i.e., 7 days))
- Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS)(Change from baseline to post-treatment (i.e., 7 days))
- Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)(Change from baseline to post-treatment (i.e., 7 days))
- Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS)(Baseline)
- Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)(Change from baseline to post-treatment (i.e., 7 days))
- BIS/BAS Scales(Baseline)
- Vividness of Mental Imagination(Immediately after prospective mental imagery at baseline)
Investigators
Christoph Benke
Principal Investigator
Philipps University Marburg