Chinese Internet-Based Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder Comparing Therapist and Coach Guidance in Hong Kong

What this Trial Is About

Social Anxiety Disorder SAD is a widespread mental health condition causing intense fear and distress in social situations. This research evaluates a Chinese-language internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy iCBT program for SAD in Hong Kong. The study compares a standard therapist-guided format with a new, more cost-efficient self-help version guided by trained coaches. The goal is to see if the self-help version is not worse than the therapist-guided one and both are better than no treatment. This is a randomized controlled noninferiority trial sponsored by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The study involves translating an existing English iCBT protocol into Chinese and enrolling about 110 adults with SAD. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups therapist-guided iCBT, coach-guided self-help iCBT, or a waitlist control. The treatments last for 14 weeks, with content delivered online through modules including educational texts, videos, homework, and behavioral experiments. Communication with therapists or coaches occurs via secure messaging and scheduled calls. Participants will complete self-report questionnaires like the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale LSAS at the end of treatment and at 3- and 9-month follow-ups to measure social anxiety symptoms. Other assessments include depression, general anxiety, social participation, and social satisfaction scales. The study also evaluates social performance through behavioral tasks. This trial monitors effectiveness, adherence, and safety over approximately 14 weeks of treatment plus follow-up periods to understand the benefits of internet-delivered therapies for SAD.

CvC-SAD (Clinician vs Coach)Self-help Versions in a RCT