Social Support and Reduced Fear Acquisition

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES · Sep 21, 2020

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, is exploring how social support can help reduce fear and anxiety. They are looking for healthy adults and individuals diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, aged 18 to 55, to see if reminders of supportive people can help prevent the development of fear in both groups. In total, the study will include 100 participants, with half being healthy individuals and half having social anxiety. Those selected will go through a series of tests where they will see images paired with a mild electric shock to study how fear develops, both with and without the presence of a supportive figure.

To participate, healthy adults must be between 18 and 35 years old, speak English fluently, and have no history of mental health issues. Anxious participants need to have a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder but can also have other conditions like depression. Participants should be aware that pregnant individuals or those with certain mental health conditions will not be eligible to join. If selected, participants can expect to engage in a structured experiment that examines their reactions to fear-inducing situations, all while being supported by images of people they consider helpful or reassuring.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • healthy adults 18 and 35
• • fluent in English
• • no history of mental illness (healthy participants: including anxiety, depression, phobia, or any other mental health related disorder diagnosed by a mental health professional)
• • diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (anxious participants: allowed co-morbid disorders include depression, other anxiety disorders, and PTSD)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the experiment period
• • presence of chronic mental illness (healthy participants: as determined by the report of a past diagnosis of mental illness by a physician or psychologist and/or the prescription of medication related to mental health disorder; including anxiety, depression, phobia, or any other diagnosed psychological disorder)
• • presence of non-allowed co-morbid disorders (anxious participants: including, bipolar disorder, psychosis, substance use disorder, neurological disorder, and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder)
• • current and regular use of prescription medications related to mental health disorders