False Safety Behavior Elimination Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder in Japanese: A Pilot, Single-Arm Uncontrolled Study

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by an excessive fear of social situations that can lead to serious functional impairment; it negatively affects a person's self-esteem and social interactions. Its prevalence has increased over the past four decades, and SAD is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in Japan. Therefore, more precise interventions are needed. This study administered false safety behavior elimination therapy (F-SET), which eliminates safety behavior (i.e., strategies that reduce anxiety), to six Japanese patients with SAD. This is the first adaptation of F-SET into Japanese. Seven patients were screened and six (M-age = 27.83 years, only males) were eligible for the study criteria. Each patient received five weekly 60-min F-SET sessions. At post-F-SET, the mean reduction in Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale score from baseline was -20.50 (95% confidence interval: -30.65, -10.35; p = .003). After completing the treatment, all participants showed substantially decreased SAD symptoms, which indicates preliminary support for the adapted treatment's efficacy.