OBJECTIVE Cognitive models of social anxiety disorder propose that maladaptive safety behaviors (SBs; i.e., behaviors intended to avoid, prevent, or manage threat) play an important maintaining role in the disorder. Though targeting these behaviors for elimination is one component of contemporary cognitive-behavioral therapies for social anxiety, it has rarely been examined as a specific treatment strategy, and, to our knowledge, it has not yet been examined in isolation as an intervention for social anxiety. The current study evaluated an SB reduction intervention for social anxiety that consisted of brief text message reminders. METHOD Individuals with elevated social anxiety (N = 94) were recruited from across the United States and randomized to receive one of two 1-month text message interventions consisting of 16 text message reminders to avoid SBs or focus on the present. Symptoms were assessed at pre- and posttreatment, as well as at 1-month follow-up. RESULTS Both treatments were associated with substantial symptom reduction. Compared to the present-focused text message condition, SB elimination led to lower SB frequency at posttreatment (sr² = .044, p = .048) and lower social anxiety at follow-up (sr² = .096, p = .005). CONCLUSIONS These preliminary findings provide novel evidence for the importance of SBs in social anxiety and suggest text message SB reduction may be an effective, highly accessible intervention for individuals with social anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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减少社交焦虑症的短信安全行为：一项随机对照试验。

目的社会焦虑症的认知模型表明，适应不良的安全行为（SB；即旨在避免，预防或控制威胁的行为）在该疾病中起着重要的维持作用。尽管针对这些行为进行消除是现代社会交往认知-行为疗法的一个组成部分，但很少将其作为一种具体的治疗策略进行检查，据我们所知，尚未将其作为社会交往的干预措施进行单独研究。 。当前的研究评估了针对社交焦虑的减少SB干预措施，其中包括简短的短信提醒。方法从美国各地招募具有较高社交焦虑感（N = 94）的个体，并随机接受两种为期1个月的短信干预措施之一，其中包括16则短信提醒，以避免出现SB或关注当前情况。在治疗前和治疗后以及1个月的随访中评估症状。结果两种治疗均与症状减轻有关。与当前关注的短信条件相比，消除SB会导致后处理时SB频率降低（sr²= .044，p = .048），并在随访时降低社交焦虑（sr²= .096，p = .005）。结论这些初步发现为SBs在社交焦虑中的重要性提供了新的证据，并表明短信减少SB可能是社交焦虑症患者的一种有效，高度可及的干预措施。