Social anxiety disorder, whose onset peaks in adolescence, is associated with significant impairment. Despite the availability of effective treatments, few affected youth receive services. Transporting interventions into schools may circumvent barriers to treatment. The efficacy of a school-based intervention for social anxiety disorder was examined in a randomized wait-list control trial of 35 adolescents (26 females). Independent evaluators, blind to treatment condition, evaluated participants at preintervention, postintervention, and 9 months later. Adolescents in the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater reductions than controls in social anxiety and avoidance, as well as significantly improved overall functioning. In addition, 67% of treated subjects, compared to 6% of wait-list participants, no longer met criteria for social phobia following treatment. Findings support the possible efficacy of school-based intervention for facilitating access to treatment for socially anxious adolescents.

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We investigated language development, relational aggression, and relational victimization in ethnically, socioeconomically diverse preschoolers. Relational aggression was positively related to language development. Girls were more relationally aggressive than boys, and higher-socioeconomic status (SES) children were more relationally aggressive and victimized than lower-SES children. Neither gender nor SES conclusively moderated the relation between language and relational aggression, though some findings suggest the possibility of stronger relations among boys and lower-SES children. Teachers agreed on ratings of relational aggression and relational victimization to a moderate extent.

The study provides evidence that intervention for social anxiety disorder that emphasizes exposure and social skills is efficacious. Results indicate that clinical improvement is sustained for at least 6 months, and that, overall, adolescents with social anxiety disorder do not respond to non-specific treatment. This investigation has public health implications by demonstrating that effective interventions can be transported to nonclinical settings.

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