Social Support and Enhanced Fear Extinction

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 reminders of social support can help reduce fear in people with anxiety. The study aims to see if healthy individuals and those diagnosed with social anxiety disorder can benefit from the same techniques to lessen their fear. Participants, aged 18 to 55, will be recruited from the UCLA community and a special treatment center, with a total of 100 people expected to take part.

If you join the trial, you will go through some initial screenings to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria, which include being a healthy adult without a history of mental illness or having a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder. During the study, you will experience a process where scary images linked to potential electric shocks will be shown alongside pictures of someone you trust, like a friend or family member. This is done repeatedly to help reduce the fear response. After the experiment, you’ll return for a follow-up to see if your fear has decreased. It's a unique opportunity to learn more about anxiety and how social support can play a role in managing it.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • healthy adults 18 to 55
• • 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