Can feeling good first help you conquer fear of public speaking?
NCT ID NCT06776991
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at whether doing a positive mood treatment before standard exposure therapy can improve outcomes for people with social anxiety and public speaking fears. About 94 adults with social anxiety disorder will first receive either a positive mood treatment or a relaxation treatment, then all will undergo exposure therapy. Researchers will measure anxiety, avoidance, and physiological responses during public speaking tasks to see which approach works better.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Positive Affect Treatment - Behavioral (PAT-B) and Relaxation Treatment (both behavioral therapies)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a more effective way to treat social anxiety by boosting positive emotions before facing fears.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 94 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The benefit of adding a mood treatment before exposure therapy is still unproven.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 94 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2024
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 60 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of social anxiety disorder from the Structural Clinical Interview for DSM 5. * Elevated fear of public speaking, defined as a score of \>= 66 (+1SD from the mean of population norms on a scale of 17-85) on the Public Speaking Anxiety Scale (PSAS; Bartholomay, E. M., \& Houlihan, D. D. (2016). Public Speaking Anxiety Scale: Preliminary psychometric data and scale validation. Personality and individual differences, 94, 211-215), which is a self-report scale measuring anxiety of public speaking. * Low reward processing, defined as a score of \<56 (less than the population mean) on the Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) (Rizvi, S. J., Quilty, L. C., Sproule, B. A., Cyriac, A., Bagby, R. M., \& Kennedy, S. H. (2015). Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) \[Database record\]. APA PsycTests). * Medication-free or stabilized on psychotropic medications for a minimum standard length of time (1 month for benzodiazepines and beta blockers, 3 months for SRIs/SNRIs and heterocyclics). * Psychotherapy-free or stabilized on alternative psychotherapies other than cognitive or behavioral therapies that were not focused on their anxiety disorder for at least 6 months prior to study entry. * Age 18-60. * Fluent in English. * To conduct MRI version of fear conditioning task, must have no MRI contraindications. Exclusion Criteria (none of the following): * Recent suicidal ideation with intent or plan - defined as suicidal ideation with intent or plan in the past year. * Lifetime history of suicide attempts. * History of bipolar disorder, psychosis, intellectual disability, or organic brain damage. * Substance use disorder within the last 6 months. * Major respiratory, cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, or muscular-skeletal diseases. * Pregnant or planning to become pregnant for next 6 months.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of California, Los Angeles
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90024, United States
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University of California, Los Angeles
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90024, United States
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