CBT for the treatment of child anxiety disorders: a review of why parental involvement has not enhanced outcomes

TY - JOUR

T1 - CBT for the treatment of child anxiety disorders

T2 - a review of why parental involvement has not enhanced outcomes

AU - Breinholst, Sonja

AU - Esbjørn, Barbara Hoff

AU - Reinholdt-Dunne, Marie Louise

AU - Stallard, Paul

N1 - Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2012/4

Y1 - 2012/4

N2 - Anxiety affects 10% of all children and disrupts educational, socio-emotional development and overall functioning of the child and family. Research has shown that parenting factors (i.e. intrusiveness, negativity, distorted cognitions) contribute to the development and maintenance of childhood anxiety. Recent studies have therefore investigated if the treatment effect of traditional cognitive behavioural therapy may be enhanced by adding a parental component. However, randomised controlled trials have not shown unequivocal support for this assumption. The results are inconsistent and ambiguous. This article investigates possible reasons for this inconsistency and in particular differences in methodology and the theoretical relevance of the applied parental components are highlighted as possible contributory factors. Another factor is that treatment effect is mainly measured by change in the child's diagnostic status rather than changes in parental or family functioning.

AB - Anxiety affects 10% of all children and disrupts educational, socio-emotional development and overall functioning of the child and family. Research has shown that parenting factors (i.e. intrusiveness, negativity, distorted cognitions) contribute to the development and maintenance of childhood anxiety. Recent studies have therefore investigated if the treatment effect of traditional cognitive behavioural therapy may be enhanced by adding a parental component. However, randomised controlled trials have not shown unequivocal support for this assumption. The results are inconsistent and ambiguous. This article investigates possible reasons for this inconsistency and in particular differences in methodology and the theoretical relevance of the applied parental components are highlighted as possible contributory factors. Another factor is that treatment effect is mainly measured by change in the child's diagnostic status rather than changes in parental or family functioning.

KW - Anxiety Disorders

KW - Child

KW - Cognitive Therapy

KW - Family Therapy

KW - Humans

KW - Parent-Child Relations

KW - Parenting

KW - Parents

KW - Treatment Outcome

U2 - 10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.12.014

DO - 10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.12.014

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 22306129

SN - 0887-6185

VL - 26

SP - 416

EP - 424

JO - Journal of Anxiety Disorders

JF - Journal of Anxiety Disorders

IS - 3

ER -