Using Alena improves your social anxiety in just four weeks
Research shows that over four weeks, Alena users improve their social anxiety scores three times more than those without Alena.
Alena uses a ground-breaking combination of computational neuroscience and psychotherapy. Unlike any other therapy app, Alena uses game-like assessments to identify the cognitive processes that drive your social anxiety alongside evidence-based therapy.
The four mental processes that we analyze and target are – Beliefs, Attention, Rumination, and Avoidance.
In order to understand the impact and effectiveness of this therapy on users' social anxiety, we conducted an initial trial, which found that the therapy had significantly improved users' social anxiety severity after just four weeks.
The trial also found that, even though the participants stopped using Alena after four weeks, when we followed them up two weeks later their social anxiety continued to be lower. This article explores the trial and results in more depth.
How do we measure social anxiety severity?
To monitor social anxiety severity, we use a SPIN scoring questionnaire at regular stages of the therapy.
SPIN stands for Social Phobia Inventory – a scientifically recognized 17-point questionnaire created by the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department at Duke University, which has become the gold standard for measuring social anxiety.
Participants answer the questionnaire, looking back over the last seven days – it’s a snapshot of your social anxiety level at that point in time. It’s been found to be a great way of testing, and retesting how the severity of your social anxiety can change due to intervention - e.g therapy, coaching, self-help or medication.
We monitored the scores of participants in each group once a week for four weeks to measure whether the therapy had an impact on social anxiety severity, then followed them up two weeks after they stopped using the app.
What is a RCT (randomized controlled trial)?
A randomized controlled trial is where you have participants split into two groups through random allocation. Usually, one is a control group whereas the other is exposed to the intervention that is being tested.
A control group is a group of participants whose social anxiety is also being measured, but they aren’t provided with the Alena therapy. It allows us to measure the success of Alena therapy, against a similar group of people who aren’t using it.
Evidence shows Alena has a positive impact on your social anxiety, with effects starting to show from week one.
In 2022, we conducted an initial RCT (Randomized Controlled Trial) with 102 participants. 52 with access to the therapy, and 50 in the control group – with no access to it.
We were able to collect a lot of data and retain a good sample size for the duration of the trial.
We carried out an initial questionnaire at the beginning of the trial to screen participants, to ensure that everyone had at least moderate social anxiety before beginning the intervention. Once we understood everyone's severity of social anxiety, we then continued to monitor it weekly, to track the impact that the therapy had.
The difference between the users who completed all therapy modules and the waitlist at week four was highly significant. It showed a large difference between those who completed the cognitive behavioral therapy, and those who didn’t have access to the app. In fact, those who completed the therapy saw an average improvement three times larger than those in the control group.
We also continued to see a difference between the users that completed the therapy and the waitlist two weeks later.
As we progress, we will run larger and more comprehensive RCTs. We will always look to scientifically validate our work.
Does this suggest using Alena is as effective as in-person therapy?
We haven’t yet conducted a study comparing traditional in-person therapy against someone using alternative treatment methods – however this level of improvement after four weeks is incredibly promising. Usually, with in-person treatment the effects take longer than this to start to show.
When looking at alternative treatments, there are also other factors to consider.
In-person therapy can be harder to access, with high waiting times for free therapy, and high costs for private therapy. When you do begin your therapy treatment, you will need to wait between sessions for availability - so it’s possible to have a few weeks go by between your sessions, whereas Alena is available to you 24/7.
References
Psychometric properties of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN). New self-rating scale - National Library of Medicine
Psychometric properties of the social phobia inventory: further evaluation - National Library of Medicine