The effectiveness of social problem-solving therapy in reducing anxiety

An analogue study of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) was conducted to test the hypothesis that training in social problem solving therapy is an effective treatment in reducing anxiety in college students. The goals were: (a) to determine whether Problem-Solving Therapy (PST) was effective in reducing anxiety as compared to a wait-list control (WLC) group, and (b) to determine whether PST was more effective in reducing anxiety than a nondirective group therapy regimen, Problem-Focused Therapy (PFT). Eligible, interested subjects completed pretest and were randomized into one of three groups--PST, PFT, or WLC. Treatment consisted of eight 2-hour sessions, with homework assigned between sessions. Following treatment, subjects completed posttest. Seventy-six subjects completed the study--25 in the PST group, 22 in the PFT group, and 29 in the WLC group. Measures obtained included self-reported measures of anxiety, depression, and perceived and actual problem-solving ability; in addition, a measure of pulse was obtained. Results showed that subjects in the PST group significantly reduced their anxiety by posttest as compared to the WLC group on the major outcome measure of anxiety, the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). When the two treatment groups were compared, PST was not significantly different from PFT on the BAI. However, subjects rated PST therapy and PST therapists more positively than their PFT counterparts. In addition, PST subjects perceived themselves as better problem solvers following treatment than PFT subjects. Thus, PST seems to have an edge on PFT. The results of this study support the hypothesis that Problem-Solving Therapy is an effective treatment in reducing anxiety in college students when compared to a control group. The hypothesis that Problem-Solving Therapy would be more effective in reducing anxiety than a nondirective group therapy regimen (PFT) was not supported by the results of this study.