Anxiety

Together with psychologists Majen Bjerke and Pia Rygg Hauge, researchers, content developers, reference groups and focus group from Kongsgaard VGS, the team in Stavanger will develop, test, and evaluate a digital treatment and self-help intervention that will strengthen adolescents’ implementation of exposure in anxiety treatment.

There are different anxiety disorders in the diagnostic manuals, where F40 Phobic disorders such as social phobias, and F41 Other anxiety disorders such as panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder are the most common. Anxiety disorders lead to difficulties in everyday life such as bodily activation, thoughts of possible dangers, avoidance of anxiety-provoking stimuli, and inappropriate fear responses that are not linked to real danger. Adolescent anxiety disorders cause significant distress and are associated with poorer social functioning, poorer performance and functioning at school, and an increased risk of developing other anxiety disorders and depression. Young people may also experience a generally reduced quality of life, difficulty sleeping and an increased risk of developing substance abuse.

The aim of the treatment is to provide knowledge about coping strategies and increase young people’s belief in their own ability to cope. We want to increase their motivation for treatment and reduce the anxiety and stigma associated with help-seeking behavior. The treatment will help adolescents by providing knowledge about sleep and other good habits, and reduce avoidance and limited life expression. The treatment will also help young people who struggle with low self-efficacy in social situations so that they can experience increased mastery in school and in social situations.

In UngMeistrings work package H4 Anxiety, Helse Stavanger is responsible for developing digital treatment and self-help for anxiety disorders that can be used via www.ung.no. Through a user-centered approach, we will seek to gain sufficient insight into what users want to emphasize in a digital treatment for anxiety. We therefore will include people with personal experience, therapists in municipal and specialist health services, public health nurses, guardians and others to get input before and during development of the e-treatment. In Stavanger, we have also partnered with an upper secondary school to include the youth group in the development.