Mindfulness and acceptance-based group therapy versus traditional cognitive behavioral group therapy for social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial

Recent research has supported the use of mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). The purpose of the present study was to compare mindfulness and acceptance-based group therapy (MAGT) with cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) with respect to outcome. It was hypothesized that MAGT and CBGT would both be superior to a control group but not significantly different from one another. Individuals (N = 137, mean age = 34 years, 54% female, 62% White, 20% Asian) diagnosed with SAD were randomly assigned to MAGT (n = 53), CBGT (n = 53) or a waitlist control group (n = 31). The primary outcome was social anxiety symptom severity assessed at baseline, treatment midpoint, treatment completion, and 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes were cognitive reappraisal, mindfulness, acceptance, and rumination. Depression, valued living, and group cohesion were also assessed. As hypothesized, MAGT and CBGT were both more effective than the control group but not significantly different from one another on social anxiety reduction and most other variables assessed. The present research provides additional support for the use of mindfulness and acceptance-based treatments for SAD, and future research should examine the processes by which these treatments lead to change. •Two group therapies for social anxiety disorder were compared to a control group.•Mindfulness and acceptance-based group therapy (MAGT) is based on ACT.•MAGT was compared to cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT).•MAGT and CBGT were both more effective than the control group.•MAGT and CBGT were not significantly different from one another on most measures.