Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cyber group therapy for social phobia. The setting was a closed user group on internet site in which 4-6 clients including a counselor were assigned. A total of 34 clients participated at the beginning and 2 dropped, and remaining 22 clients, 18 with social phobia as experimental group and 4 in control group, had been surveyed to the end of the study. Ten 90 minute sessions of cyber group therapy, which was primarily focused on cognitive behavioral treatment, were conducted over a 5-week period. The clients were given e-mailed reading material for review before each session and were assigned homework after the group therapy. An 24 hour accessible cyber-bulletin board was prepared for the clients to post their assignment results. Outcome was assessed on measures of Social Avoidance and Anxiety Scale(SADS), Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale(FNE), State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Dysfunctional Test, based on the client responses on a questionnaire answered at the beginning and closing of the study. After the study, the clients were also asked to answer the open-type questionnaire to evaluate the study in terms of assessment of program. The findings of the study demonstrated that change, in this cyber group therapy, was detected with a significant reduction in phobia symptoms on entire outcome measures. The clients satisfaction with the session program was also high, marking 4 in the questionnaire anchored to 5-point rating scale. The main treatment reason was attributed to easy access to psychological information, self-understanding and then generality of the study. The results are interpreted as supporting the efficiency of group therapy in cyber space, which could induce changes in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects associated with social phobia. Further study is needed to examine the usefulness and a specific role of this group therapy in addition to traditional treatment method for social phobia.