The effect of biotherapy on social anxiety level in individuals with social anxiety disorder

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of bibliotherapy on social anxiety levels in people with social anxiety disorder. The sample of the study consisted of 45 adults who received the highest scale score and volunteered to participate in the study out of 400 adults who were administered the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. The study is an experimental research using a 3X(3) split-plot design (experiment, placebo, control - pre-test, post-test, follow-up test). Data collection tools were Personal Information Form and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. The dependent variable in the study was the level of social anxiety based on the score obtained from the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the independent variable was the bibliotherapy program for social anxiety disorder applied to the experimental group and the communication skills group guidance applied to the placebo group. 45 participants were randomly assigned to the experimental, placebo and control groups as fifteen participants each. It was determined by Kruskal-Wallis H test that there was no significant difference between the pre-test measurements of the groups and that the groups were similar. The experimental group received a seven-session bibliotherapy program prepared by the researcher, the placebo group received group guidance based on communication skills, and the control group did not receive any treatment. At the end of the study, a post-test and a follow-up test four weeks later were taken from the experimental, placebo and control groups. The measurements were analyzed with Kruskall Wallis H, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks and Friedman test. A significant decrease was observed in the social anxiety levels of the experimental group that received bibliotherapy after the application compared to the pre-application. The decrease in the social anxiety levels of the placebo group, which received group counseling based on communication skills, and the control group, which did not receive any treatment, was not statistically significant. However, no significant difference was found in the post-test scores between the groups.