e-couch - Social Anxiety program

Description:

e-couch provides evidence-based information about emotional problems including their causes, treatments and ways to manage and prevent them.  Some information can be reviewed before registering.  When you register for the program you complete a number of quizzes, for example about depression and anxiety, which give feedback on how you are feeling.  On return visits, you can complete the quizzes again and graph your progress.  The program includes five separate modules relating to depression, anxiety and worry, social anxiety, divorce and separation, and bereavement and loss.  Each program includes an 'armchair' section with lots of information, a collection of self-help toolkits with practical advice and techniques based on CBT, IPT, physical activity and relaxation, and a workbook.  You can complete the various actvities within each program in any order - and your progress is tracked and displayed.

Service URL:

https://ecouch.anu.edu.au

Agency Responsible:

eHub Health.

Details

Format:

Website.

Intervention Types:

Psychological – CBT and Psychological – IPT. Also relaxation and physical activity

Course Length:

Long (more than 5 modules).

Support Option:

Automated only.

Target Audience

Primary Category:

Social anxiety. Also depression, generalised anxiety disorder, coping with divorce and separation, and dealing with bereavement and loss

Secondary Categories:

Resilience and Relationship issues.

Target Audiences:

Adolescent and Adult.

Language:

English.

Access

Fee:

Free.

Access:

Open: With registration.

Contact Details:

ecouch@ecouch.anu.edu.au

Research evidence

Research Trials:

1

Research RCTs:

1

Outcome Summary:

(Interim)
The efficacy of the e-couch Social Anxiety program was tested in a randomised control trial of 63 participants with social anxiety symptoms. The RCT compared the e-couch social anxiety program and another intervention (Cognitive Bias Modification for Interpretation, CBM-I) with a non-intervention control group. The 21 participants in the e-couch intervention were given access to the online social anxiety program over 4 sessions in the two week intervention period.

Upon completion of the trial, e-couch participants reported significantly lower scores on measures of social anxiety (i.e. fear of negative evaluation (FNE), the social phobia inventory (SPIN)) as well as trait anxiety and depression compared to the control group.

Of the 14 e-couch participants commencing the trial with moderate social anxiety, 42.9% (n=6) scored within a functional range at post-intervention. No clinically significant changes were observed in the control group.

At post-intervention, e-couch participants showed significantly greater improvement on measures of attention control compared to the control group (e.g. ability to focus and shift attention). In addition, e-couch participants showed evidence of making fewer negative cognitions compared to control group on two different measures of interpretive bias.

The long term efficacy of e-couch for the reduction in social anxiety symptoms has not been tested. Future research with a longer follow up period would provide insight into the longer term benefits of e-couch.

Recommended rating, reviewer 1:

Recommended rating, reviewer 2:

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Research paper citations

Bowler, J.O., B. Mackintosh. et al. (2012). A comparison of cognitive bias modification for interpretation and computerized cognitive behavior therapy: effects on anxiety, depression, attentional control, and interpretive bias. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 80(6), 1021-33.