The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Social Adjustment in Adolescents with Social Anxiety

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on social adjustment in adolescents with social anxiety. Methods and Materials: The research method was a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test, including a control group and a one-month follow-up stage. The statistical population of the study comprised all adolescents diagnosed with social anxiety disorder who attended eight counseling centers in Babol in the spring of 2024. Initially, the Connor Anxiety Questionnaire (2000) was distributed among all participants. Thirty individuals who scored between 16 and 25 (the cut-off point of the questionnaire) were selected using the convenience sampling method and were then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Data were collected using the Sinha and Singh Adjustment Inventory (1993) and the Connor Social Anxiety Questionnaire (1969). The experimental group received a 12-session, 90-minute cognitive-behavioral intervention based on Beck’s (1998) manual. This intervention was only applied to the experimental group, with no intervention provided for the control group. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis. Findings: The findings indicated a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental and control groups in terms of social adjustment among adolescents with social anxiety (P ≤ 0.01). Overall, cognitive-behavioral therapy was found to be effective in improving social adjustment in adolescents with social anxiety (P ≤ 0.01). Conclusion: Considering the results of this study, the role of cognitive-behavioral therapy in creating changes in social adjustment has important therapeutic implications.