Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on social anxiety disorder in South Korea. To achieve this, a meta-analysis and methodological quality assessment were conducted on 13 studies involving Korean adults with social anxiety disorder, published between 2017 and 2023. The quality assessment results revealed that many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) did not meet methodological principles, while non-randomized controlled studies met a relatively higher number of evaluation criteria. Subsequently, the effectiveness of the treatment was assessed by categorizing each study’s measures into social anxiety indicators, treatment mechanism indicators, and depression and generalized anxiety indicators. Additionally, a subgroup analysis was performed to examine differences in effect sizes based on treatment types. The results showed a large effect size for social anxiety and depression and generalized anxiety indicators, and a medium to large effect size for treatment mechanism indicators. Furthermore, the subgroup analysis revealed no significant differences across treatment types for any of the indicators. These findings suggest that CBT functions effectively as an evidence-based treatment. Finally, the implications of the study results and the future prospects of CBT were discussed.