Introduction: Social support and loneliness have been identified as important factors in mental and physical health. People with social anxiety disorder (SAD) often report low levels of social support and high levels of loneliness (Alden & Taylor, 2010). Fear of intimacy, or someone’s reluctance to share personal thoughts, feelings and struggles with others, has been linked to poor romantic relationship satisfaction (Bartholomew, 1990; Descutner & Thelen, 1991; Emmons & Colby, 1995) and is also associated with lower social support and greater social anxiety. Building Closer Friendships (BCF) was developed to increase social support and reduce loneliness through reducing fear of intimacy in individuals with SAD. The current study was a preliminary test of this intervention. Method: A sample of individuals with current SAD (N = 55), were randomized to BCF or waitlist control conditions. Participants completed self-report measures of fear of intimacy, loneliness, and social support at baseline, mid-treatment, post-treatment, and one-month follow-up, and completed additional measures of social anxiety, depression, general anxiety symptoms and suicide vulnerability throughout the study. An in vivo conversation task (with an actor) was also administered at post-treatment to assess distress and perceived disclosure, warmth, and friendliness of participants when interacting with a stranger. Results: In the full randomized sample, the BCF group reported lower fear of intimacy at post-treatment compared to the control group. Among completers, BCF led to lower fear of intimacy at post-treatment and follow-up, and lower loneliness and depression at follow-up compared to the waitlist control. No treatment effects were found in the conversation task or with other symptom outcomes, including social anxiety. Discussion: This preliminary study found modest support for BCF as a computerized intervention to reduce fear of intimacy and loneliness in individuals with SAD. Limitations, clinical implications, and directions for future research are discussed.
