Clinical Psychology: Research and Practice Innovations

Clinical Psychology: Research and Practice Innovations"

The Effectiveness of Unified Transdiagnostic Therapy on Depressive Symptoms and Alexithymia in Adolescents with Social Anxiety Disorder

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Nasim Beiranvand 1
Maryam Rezaee 2
1 PhD Psychology, Borujerd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Borujerd, Iran.
2 MA, School Counseling, Abhar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Abhar, Iran.
10.22075/jcp.2025.36758.3116
Abstract
Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the Unified Transdiagnostic Treatment on depressive symptoms and alexithymia in adolescents with social anxiety disorder. Method: This semi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all female adolescents diagnosed with social anxiety disorder attending public secondary schools in Eslamshahr during the winter of 2023. A sample of 30 participants was selected through multi-stage cluster sampling and randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The assessment tools included the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale-II (KADS-II), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Only the experimental group received the intervention, consisting of 12 treatment sessions. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: After controlling for pretest scores, the experimental group showed a statistically significant greater reduction in depressive symptoms and alexithymia compared to the control group (p < 0.01), indicating the effectiveness of the Unified Transdiagnostic Treatment in alleviating these symptoms. Conclusion: The Unified Transdiagnostic Treatment led to significant reductions in depressive symptoms and alexithymia, likely due to its focus on emotional regulation and underlying transdiagnostic processes common across emotional disorders, thereby contributing to the overall psychological improvement of adolescents.
Keywords
"alexithymia"
"asocial anxiety disorder"
"depressive symptoms"
"unified transdiagnostic therapy"
Subjects

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  • Receive Date 07 February 2025
  • Revise Date 13 June 2025
  • Accept Date 14 June 2025
  • First Publish Date 22 June 2025
  • Publish Date 22 June 2025