title: Emotional Reactivity and Regulation Following Citalopram Therapy in Children and Adolescents with Anxiety Disorders.
abstract: Emotional dysregulation is an important element in the pathophysiology of childhood anxiety disorders and can distinguish anxious subjects from controls. Treatment with selective serotonin inhibitors (SSRIs) has been found to lessen anxiety, but its effects on emotional reactivity and regulation are less documented. The aim of the study was to prospectively assess changes in emotional reactivity and regulation in response to citalopram in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, with special focus on the mechanism of reappraisal.
  
  
  
  The sample included 70 children and adolescents (38 boys, 32 girls) 10-17 years of age, divided into three groups: Those with anxiety disorder treated with citalopram for 8 weeks (n = 35); untreated subjects with anxiety disorder on the waiting list for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (n = 15); and subjects without anxiety disorder (controls) (n = 20). Emotional reactivity and regulation (i.e., reappraisal), were assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks (follow-up) with validated computer-based instruments, Reactivity and Regulation-Situations (REAR-S) and Reactivity and Regulation-Images (REAR-I).
  
  
  
  Citalopram-treated subjects showed significantly greater improvement in reappraisal ability than CBT-waitlisted subjects. Improvement in the ability to reappraise threatening images correlated significantly with the decrease in anxiety. There was a decrease in negative emotional reactivity between assessments, which was positively correlated with clinical improvement. Higher intensity of baseline reactivity (on the REAR-S) predicted more severe symptoms at follow-up.
  
  
  
  Citalopram therapy improves reappraisal ability in children and adolescents with anxiety. However, the improvement in other examined emotional reactivity indices occurred in both medicated and waitlisted groups. It is possible that these findings may have implications for understanding the pathophysiology of anxiety in children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Psychology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel , Petah Tikwa, Israel .|2 Department of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center , Herzliya; Israel .
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Carthy
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Psychology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel , Petah Tikwa, Israel .|3 Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv, Israel .
authors.forename: Noa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Benaroya-Milshtein
authors.affiliation: 3 Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv, Israel .|4 Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikwa, Israel, affiliated with Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University , Israel .
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valevski
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Psychology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel , Petah Tikwa, Israel .|3 Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv, Israel .
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Apter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D015283:Citalopram / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015283:Citalopram; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
keywords: anxiety; children; citalopram; emotional regulation; reappraisal