Domains of life satisfaction in social anxiety disorder: relation to symptoms and response to cognitive-behavioral therapy

A general sense of satisfaction with life has been shown to be discriminable from symptom levels and disability in clinical populations. The current study focused on the utility of identifying domains of life satisfaction in social anxiety disorder and differential changes in these domains following cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT). An exploratory principal axis factor analysis of the items of the Quality of Life Inventory in clients with a principal diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (N=138) yielded four domains of life satisfaction: (1) Achievement, (2) Social Functioning, (3) Personal Growth, and (4) Surroundings. Prior to treatment, clients reported dissatisfaction in the Achievement and Social Functioning domains. Further, levels of satisfaction in these domains were significantly related to severity of social anxiety and depressive symptoms. Finally, analyses of a subsample of clients completing 12-weeks of cognitive-behavioral group therapy revealed significant improvements in the Achievement and Social Functioning factors. These findings provide further support for the assertion that social anxiety disorder has important implications for clients' quality of life and that CBGT can successfully impact several domains of satisfaction.