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Family-based online cognitive behavioral therapy plus a therapist's phone support may be a promising therapy for child anxiety, paving the way for effective mental health care.
Family-based internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) with brief therapist guidance holds promising outcomes for treating anxiety disorders in children, a study published in the 'Journal of Anxiety Disorders’ deduced. Lauren F. McLellan and her team conducted a randomized controlled trial in 95 children in the age group of 7 to 12 years. Their anxiety disorders were diagnosed with the help of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
Children were randomly allocated to either receive family-based iCBT or be placed on a wait list control group. Evaluations were conducted at the starting, at week 11, and after 6 months. Family-based iCBT significantly outperformed the wait list condition, leading to a higher rate of remission for anxiety disorders, including primary and all anxiety diagnoses. Moreover, there was a notable decrease in the anxiety symptoms as reported by the caregiver and interference at week 11. Children in the wait list control group received treatment after week 11, allowing for the evaluation of treatment maintenance for all study participants.
The child-reported anxiety symptoms and interference, as well as the participant and caregiver-reported depressive or externalizing behaviors, did not show noteworthy disparities between the conditions. But, within-treatment effects were noted with medium to large consequences for all children from prior to and after the therapy. These effects were maintained until the follow-up. This study marks a momentous advancement in the field, providing robust support for the efficacy of family-based iCBT in treating anxiety in children.
Journal of Anxiety Disorders
Treating child anxiety using family-based internet delivered cognitive behavior therapy with brief therapist guidance: A randomized controlled trial
Lauren F. McLellan et al.
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