ERIC Number: EJ992310
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jun
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-006X
EISSN: N/A
Do Anxiety-Disordered Children Need to Come into the Clinic for Efficacious Treatment?
Cobham, Vanessa E.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, v80 n3 p465-476 Jun 2012
Objective: This study compared 3 experimental conditions: wait-list, therapist-supported bibliotherapy, and individual therapy, in the treatment of child anxiety. Method: Participants were 55 children (25 girls and 30 boys), aged 7 to 14 years diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and their parents. Families were assigned using a modified random assignment process to 1 of the 3 conditions. The intervention evaluated in the 2 active treatment conditions was a family-focused, cognitive-behavioral program. Results: At posttreatment, participants in both treatment conditions had improved significantly on both diagnostic and questionnaire outcome measures compared with participants in the wait-list condition, with no differences demonstrated between the treatment conditions. Thus, at posttreatment, 0% of children in the wait-list condition were anxiety diagnosis free, compared with 95% in the therapist-supported bibliotherapy condition and 78.3% in the individual therapy condition. There was no significant difference between diagnostic status at posttreatment between the 2 treatment conditions. Participants assigned to a treatment condition were reassessed at 3-month and 6-month follow-up. Treatment gains were maintained in both conditions across the follow-up period. Conclusion: In light of the fact that more than 80% of anxiety-disordered children never receive treatment, these data suggest that therapist-supported bibliotherapy represents a cost-effective means of reaching a greater number of anxious children. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Outcome Measures, Behavior Modification, Anxiety Disorders, Anxiety, Bibliotherapy, Comparative Analysis, Clinics, Therapy, Cognitive Restructuring, Questionnaires, Outcomes of Treatment, Children, Cost Effectiveness
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A