The effectiveness of CBT in 3-7 year old anxious children: preliminary data.
BACKGROUND
While CBT has been found to be an effective treatment for anxious older children, it has not been empirically validated in children younger than 8 years. In this study we report on an open pilot trial to establish whether a modified form of CBT can benefit young children.


METHODS
Participants were 37 anxious children aged 37-89 months attending a university anxiety specialty clinic. Symptom severity and functioning were assessed before and after treatment by independent evaluators. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention were high. Parents attended part of each treatment session and were considered part of the treatment team.


RESULTS
Patients exhibited significant improvement from pre - to post-treatment assessments after an average of 8.3 treatment sessions, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) ratings.


CONCLUSIONS
A modified form of CBT with active parent involvement may be a useful tool in treating anxiety disorders in preschool and early school aged children.
Minde
Klaus
K
Department of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. klaus.minde@mcgill.ca
Roy
Jason
J
Bezonsky
Rhona
R
Hashemi
Alireza
A
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008 Dec;49(12):1257-69
18355216
J Trauma Stress. 2007 Aug;20(4):631-6
17721975
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1997 Sep;54(9):877-85
9294380
Depress Anxiety. 2009;26(3):243-50
19212972
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997 Jul;36(7):918-24
9204669
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;44(6):557-64
15908838
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1997 Jul;38(5):581-6
9255702
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997 Apr;36(4):554-65
9100431
Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2005 Oct;14(4):649-79, vii
16171697
Psychol Med. 1999 Mar;29(2):309-23
10218923
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1997 Apr;54(4):329-36
9107149
J Consult Clin Psychol. 2004 Apr;72(2):276-87
15065961
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2006 May;45(5):538-549
16601400
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Sep;46(9):1187-1195
17712242
N Engl J Med. 2008 Dec 25;359(26):2753-66
18974308
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;48(7):631-48
17593144