Cognitive-behavioral family treatment of childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder: long-term follow-up and predictors of outcome.
OBJECTIVE
The aims were to (1) evaluate the long-term durability of individual and group cognitive-behavioral family therapy for childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder and (2) investigate pretreatment predictors of long-term outcome.


METHODS
Undertaken at a university-based clinic, this study involved 48 participants (8-19 years old) who had received individual or group cognitive-behavioral family therapy. Participants and parents were assessed at 12 and 18 months following treatment with standardized assessments, including diagnostic and symptom severity interviews, child self-report measures of anxiety and depression, and parental self-report of distress. Pretreatment data were used for the prediction of long-term outcome.


RESULTS
Analyses indicated treatment gains were maintained, with a total of 70% of participants in individual therapy and 84% in group therapy diagnosis free at follow-up. There were no significant differences between the individual or group conditions across measures. Results indicated that higher pretreatment severity and higher family dysfunction predicted worse long-term outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that cognitive-behavioral family therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder provides long-term relief that it is equally effective in individual and group-based therapy. Focusing on family dysfunction may improve long-term prognosis.
Barrett
Paula
P
School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Mount Gravatt Campus, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. p.barrett@griffith.edu.au
Farrell
Lara
L
Dadds
Mark
M
Boulter
Natalie
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome