Social AnxietyNCT07408102
Online Study on the Impact of a Self-Help Tool for Social Anxiety
A study testing Internet-delivered self-help for social anxiety based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapy in people with Social Anxiety, run by Trustees of Princeton University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to understand which individuals benefit most from an internet-based cognitive behavioral intervention for social anxiety. Adults aged 18-65 will complete a self-guided online program designed to reduce anxiety symptoms. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Social Anxiety
- What is being tested?
- Internet-delivered self-help for social anxiety based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapy
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Nov 2026to Apr 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 18 to 65 years
- Live in the United States
- Comfortable reading and writing in English
- Have regular access to the internet and a desktop/laptop computer
- Report wanting to feel more comfortable in social situations, to improve social confidence, and/or to reduce symptoms of social anxiety as primary reason for joining the study
- Have a valid photo ID and be willing to complete a video-based identity verification call if requested
Who cannot join
- Lack of attention when completing parts of the study, and/or not completing the study tasks as instructed
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site
Princeton University, but recruitment and study are conducted completely online and can occur anywhere in the US.
Princeton, New Jersey, 08540
Jamie C Chiu, PsyD
About this study
The goal of this clinical trial is to understand which individuals benefit most from an internet-based cognitive behavioral intervention for social anxiety. Adults aged 18-65 will complete a self-guided online program designed to reduce anxiety symptoms. The investigators will use a combination of self-reported clinical information and data from computerized decision-making and cognitive tasks to predict behavioral change due to the intervention.
- Conditions
- Social Anxiety
- Being tested
- Internet-delivered self-help for social anxiety based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapy
- Keywords
- Cognitive Restructuring, Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Internet-Based Intervention, Social Anxiety, Predictive Models, Patient-Specific Modeling
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Internet-delivered self-help for social anxiety based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapyBehavioural
Participants will be offered the use of a self-help tool, e-couch (https://ecouch.com.au), for 5 weeks. e-couch is an online, self-directed tool that provides interactive self-help and evidence-based information to help users understand and manage common mental health challenges including symptoms of depression and anxiety. The e-couch social anxiety program will be used in this study. It is structured like an interactive self-help book and participants can log back into at any time to learn and review skills. The e-couch social anxiety program includes a comprehensive information module, as well as self-help modules with interactive exercises and workbooks that teach evidence-based strategies. The content will cover topics such as cognitive restructuring and exposure, with an emphasis on learning strategies to reduce social anxiety.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | Experimental | All participants are assigned to the e-couch social anxiety program. Over a 5-week study period, participants are instructed to complete specific modules on a weekly schedule. They are asked to engage with the program at least once per week for approximately 30 minutes. Participants receive weekly reminders and guidance indicating which modules to complete each week. Receives: Behavioral: Internet-delivered self-help for social anxiety based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Cumulative Score for Self-Selected Goals Over a 5-Week Intervention
At baseline, participants select three personal goals. At the end of each intervention week, participants rate their progress toward each goal. The primary outcome is cumulative per-goal scores across the 5 intervention weeks.
Measured: From baseline (goal selection) to the end of Week 5 of the intervention, assessed weekly at the end of each intervention week.
Secondary outcomes (1)
Change from Baseline in Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) Avoidance Subscale Score at End of Week 5
The LSAS Avoidance subscale is a self-report measure assessing avoidance of social interaction and performance situations, rated across 24 items on a 0-3 scale (0 = never, 3 = usually), yielding a total avoidance subscale score ranging from 0-72. Higher scores indicate greater avoidance. This outcome is the change in total subscale score from baseline to end of Week 5.
Measured: From baseline to the end of Week 5 of the intervention.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Feb 2026
- Study startNov 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionFeb 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionApr 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Social AnxietyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Trustees of Princeton University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Yael Niv, PhD, Principal investigator, Princeton UniversityJamie C Chiu, PsyD, Principal investigator, Princeton University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07408102
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 18016
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 12 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 3 Nov 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Researchers will share de-identified individual participant data used in the results publication, including questionnaire data and data from computerized cognitive and decision-making tasks, with other researchers upon reasonable request and after publication.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Nov 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Online Study on the Impact of a Self-Help Tool for Social Anxiety
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07408102
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 18016
- Conditions
- Social Anxiety
- Keywords
- Cognitive Restructuring, Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Internet-Based Intervention, Social Anxiety, Predictive Models, Patient-Specific Modeling
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Trustees of Princeton UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Feb 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Apr 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to understand which individuals benefit most from an internet-based cognitive behavioral intervention for social anxiety. Adults aged 18-65 will complete a self-guided online program designed to reduce anxiety symptoms. The investigators will use a combination of self-reported clinical information and data from computerized decision-making and cognitive tasks to predict behavioral change due to the intervention.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Internet-delivered self-help for social anxiety based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapyAll participants are assigned to the e-couch social anxiety program. Over a 5-week study period, participants are instructed to complete specific modules on a weekly schedule. They are asked to engage with the program at least once per week for approximately 30 minutes. Participants receive weekly reminders and guidance indicating which modules to complete each week. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Age 18 to 65 years
- Live in the United States
- Comfortable reading and writing in English
- Have regular access to the internet and a desktop/laptop computer
- Report wanting to feel more comfortable in social situations, to improve social confidence, and/or to reduce symptoms of social anxiety as primary reason for joining the study
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Lack of attention when completing parts of the study, and/or not completing the study tasks as instructed
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Internet-delivered self-help for social anxiety based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapyParticipants will be offered the use of a self-help tool, e-couch (https://ecouch.com.au), for 5 weeks. e-couch is an online, self-directed tool that provides interactive self-help and evidence-based information to help users understand and manage common mental health challenges including symptoms of depression and anxiety. The e-couch social anxiety program will be used in this study. It is structured like an interactive self-help book and participants can log back into at any time to learn and review skills. The e-couch social anxiety program includes a comprehensive information module, as well as self-help modules with interactive exercises and workbooks that teach evidence-based strategies. The content will cover topics such as cognitive restructuring and exposure, with an emphasis on learning strategies to reduce social anxiety. | Behavioural | Intervention Group |
Primary outcome
Cumulative Score for Self-Selected Goals Over a 5-Week Intervention
Time frame: From baseline (goal selection) to the end of Week 5 of the intervention, assessed weekly at the end of each intervention week.
At baseline, participants select three personal goals. At the end of each intervention week, participants rate their progress toward each goal. The primary outcome is cumulative per-goal scores across the 5 intervention weeks.
1 secondary outcome
Change from Baseline in Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) Avoidance Subscale Score at End of Week 5
Time frame: From baseline to the end of Week 5 of the intervention.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Nov 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Researchers will share de-identified individual participant data used in the results publication, including questionnaire data and data from computerized cognitive and decision-making tasks, with other researchers upon reasonable request and after publication.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Yael Niv, PhD principal investigator
Princeton University
Jamie C Chiu, PsyD principal investigator
Princeton University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Internet-delivered self-help for social anxiety based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapy in people with Social Anxiety, run by Trustees of Princeton University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Nov 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jamie C Chiu, PsyD ((609) 258-4442, self-help-study@princeton.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Cumulative Score for Self-Selected Goals Over a 5-Week Intervention (time frame: From baseline (goal selection) to the end of Week 5 of the intervention, assessed weekly at the end of each intervention week.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Nov 2026.