TY - JOUR

T1 - Social phobic interoception : effects of bodily information on anxiety, beliefs and self-processing.

AU - Wells, Adrian

AU - Papageorgiou, Costas

PY - 2001/1

Y1 - 2001/1

N2 - It has been suggested that body-state information influences self-perception and negative thinking in social phobia [Clark, D. M., & Wells, A. (1995). A cognitive model of social phobia. In R. G. Heimberg, M. R. Liebowitz, D. A. Hope & F. R. Schneier (Eds.), Social phobia: diagnosis, assessment and treatment (pp. 69–93). New York: Guilford Press.]. This study explored the effects of body-state information on anxiety and cognition in patients with generalised social phobia during a feared social interaction. It was hypothesised that information concerning an increase in pulse rate would lead to increments in anxiety, negative beliefs and self-processing whilst information concerning a decrease in pulse rate would have the opposite effect. The results of this study were generally consistent with the hypotheses. These findings are important as they may help to account for fluctuations in anxiety, negative beliefs and self-processing in social situations that do not present objective social threat. In particular, social anxiety appears to be modulated by body-state information. The implications of the present findings for cognitive therapy of social phobia are briefly discussed.

AB - It has been suggested that body-state information influences self-perception and negative thinking in social phobia [Clark, D. M., & Wells, A. (1995). A cognitive model of social phobia. In R. G. Heimberg, M. R. Liebowitz, D. A. Hope & F. R. Schneier (Eds.), Social phobia: diagnosis, assessment and treatment (pp. 69–93). New York: Guilford Press.]. This study explored the effects of body-state information on anxiety and cognition in patients with generalised social phobia during a feared social interaction. It was hypothesised that information concerning an increase in pulse rate would lead to increments in anxiety, negative beliefs and self-processing whilst information concerning a decrease in pulse rate would have the opposite effect. The results of this study were generally consistent with the hypotheses. These findings are important as they may help to account for fluctuations in anxiety, negative beliefs and self-processing in social situations that do not present objective social threat. In particular, social anxiety appears to be modulated by body-state information. The implications of the present findings for cognitive therapy of social phobia are briefly discussed.

KW - Social phobia

KW - Bodily information

KW - Anxiety

KW - Beliefs

KW - Self-focused attention

KW - Perspective taking

U2 - 10.1016/S0005-7967(99)00146-1

DO - 10.1016/S0005-7967(99)00146-1

M3 - Journal article

VL - 39

SP - 1

EP - 11

JO - Behaviour Research and Therapy

JF - Behaviour Research and Therapy

SN - 0005-7967

IS - 1

ER -