Interpersonal Subtypes in Social Phobia: Diagnostic and Treatment Implications

Abstract

Interpersonal assessment may provide a clinically useful way to identify subtypes of social phobia. In this study, we examined evidence for interpersonal subtypes in a sample of 77 socially phobic outpatients. A cluster analysis based on the dimensions of dominance and love on the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems–Circumplex Scales (Alden, Wiggins, & Pincus, 1990 Alden, L. E. and Phillips, N. 1990. An interpersonal analysis of social anxiety and depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 14: 499–513. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) found 2 interpersonal subtypes of socially phobic patients. These subtypes did not differ on pretreatment global symptom severity as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 1993 Derogatis, L. R. 1993. Brief Symptom Inventory: Administration, scoring, and procedures manual , (4th ed.), Minneapolis, MN: NCS Pearson Assessments, Inc. [Google Scholar]) or diagnostic comorbidity but did exhibit differential responses to outpatient psychotherapy. Overall, friendly-submissive social phobia patients had significantly lower scores on measures of social anxiety and significantly higher scores on measures of well-being and satisfaction at posttreatment than cold-submissive social phobia patients. We discuss the results in terms of interpersonal theory and the clinical relevance of assessment of interpersonal functioning prior to beginning psychotherapy with socially phobic patients.

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