The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Interventions in Adults with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a common anxiety disorder causing individuals to feel anxious, nervous, and distressed in public situations requiring performance, such as public speaking. Today, psychotherapies are known to be effective in reducing SAD symptoms. Mindfulness is a significant compone...

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Main Authors: Gül Muhtar, Özlem Çakmak Tolan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Istanbul University Press 2021-08-01
Series:Psikoloji Çalışmaları
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Online Access:https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/7D8594D1A9C64EA58EC23542945CBE52
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author Gül Muhtar
Özlem Çakmak Tolan
author_facet Gül Muhtar
Özlem Çakmak Tolan
author_sort Gül Muhtar
collection DOAJ
description Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a common anxiety disorder causing individuals to feel anxious, nervous, and distressed in public situations requiring performance, such as public speaking. Today, psychotherapies are known to be effective in reducing SAD symptoms. Mindfulness is a significant component of third-wave cognitive therapies, effective in treating mental disorders with psychotherapy. This study examines research articles to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) in SAD. The national literature lacks a review study on this topic. International databases scanned with the keywords “mindfulness-based therapy,” “mindfulness-based intervention,” “social anxiety,” and “social phobia” revealed twenty-one studies that met inclusion criteria. These articles covered mindfulness-based stress reduction programs, acceptance-based treatment, and interventions with adult sampling related to SAD problems. In comparing the methodological and practical features of studies meeting the criteria, we observed that MBI generally reduced SAD symptoms and affected social anxiety-related attitudes and characteristics. Although MBI was more effective than the control group or wait-list group, some studies showed no significant differences compared to other treatment groups. MBI was effective and significantly reduced SAD symptoms in efficacy studies based on the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up data when excluding comparison and control groups. In light of these findings, new studies will need more methodological control and longer follow-up times to increase the reliability and generalizability of MBI in SAD.
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series Psikoloji Çalışmaları
spelling doaj-art-29fdf00a362c4359b3199b0c0e5b76322025-08-20T03:52:39ZengIstanbul University PressPsikoloji Çalışmaları2602-29822021-08-0141242745810.26650/SP2020-847371123456The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Interventions in Adults with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic ReviewGül Muhtar0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6764-9141Özlem Çakmak Tolan1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8128-6498Dicle Üniversitesi, Diyarbakir, TurkiyeDicle Üniversitesi, Diyarbakir, TurkiyeSocial Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a common anxiety disorder causing individuals to feel anxious, nervous, and distressed in public situations requiring performance, such as public speaking. Today, psychotherapies are known to be effective in reducing SAD symptoms. Mindfulness is a significant component of third-wave cognitive therapies, effective in treating mental disorders with psychotherapy. This study examines research articles to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) in SAD. The national literature lacks a review study on this topic. International databases scanned with the keywords “mindfulness-based therapy,” “mindfulness-based intervention,” “social anxiety,” and “social phobia” revealed twenty-one studies that met inclusion criteria. These articles covered mindfulness-based stress reduction programs, acceptance-based treatment, and interventions with adult sampling related to SAD problems. In comparing the methodological and practical features of studies meeting the criteria, we observed that MBI generally reduced SAD symptoms and affected social anxiety-related attitudes and characteristics. Although MBI was more effective than the control group or wait-list group, some studies showed no significant differences compared to other treatment groups. MBI was effective and significantly reduced SAD symptoms in efficacy studies based on the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up data when excluding comparison and control groups. In light of these findings, new studies will need more methodological control and longer follow-up times to increase the reliability and generalizability of MBI in SAD.https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/7D8594D1A9C64EA58EC23542945CBE52mindfulnesssocial anxietysocial phobiasystematic review
spellingShingle Gül Muhtar
Özlem Çakmak Tolan
The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Interventions in Adults with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review
Psikoloji Çalışmaları
mindfulness
social anxiety
social phobia
systematic review
title The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Interventions in Adults with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review
title_full The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Interventions in Adults with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review
title_fullStr The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Interventions in Adults with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review
title_full_unstemmed The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Interventions in Adults with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review
title_short The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Interventions in Adults with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review
title_sort effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions in adults with social anxiety disorder a systematic review
topic mindfulness
social anxiety
social phobia
systematic review
url https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/7D8594D1A9C64EA58EC23542945CBE52
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