Clinical Trial: Parent-Augmented Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Treat Children With Specific Phobias

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Augmented Treatment of Specific Phobias in Children

Brief Summary: This study will compare the effectiveness of two types of cognitive behavioral therapy, one-session exposure treatment and family-enhanced one-session exposure treatment, in treating children with specific phobias.

Detailed Summary:

A specific phobia is a fear of a particular object or situation. For many children, phobias result in considerable academic difficulties, social and personal distress, and interference in day-to-day activities. Physical symptoms typically accompany the intense anxiety caused by a specific phobia and may include blushing, profuse sweating, trembling, nausea, and difficulty talking. Phobias can persist a lifetime and may lead to other adult anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders. One-session exposure treatment (OST), a form of cognitive behavior therapy, has been considered a rapid and effective treatment for adults with a variety of specific phobias. Upward of 75 to 80% of adults treated with OST were considered diagnoses free following treatment. OST has proven useful in treating some children with specific phobias but not all. It is possible that parental factors may affect whether a child continues to experience a phobia and how well a child responds to treatment. For example, parents who are overly protective or have a phobia themselves may prevent their child from overcoming a specific phobia. Family-enhanced OST (augmented OST) involves the parents of affected children and provides the parents with strategies to assist their children in overcoming phobias. This study will compare the effectiveness of OST and augmented OST in treating children with specific phobias. This study will also evaluate how parental factors influence the expression and maintenance of phobias in children.

Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to receive OST or augmented OST. Participants receiving OST will attend one extended treatment session, lasting up to 3 hours in duration. During this session, the child will be taught a number of cognitive and behavioral skills to deal effectively with the feared situation or object. The child will also be exposed to the feared situati
Sponsor: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Current Primary Outcome:

  • Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: Presence of Specific Phobia [ Time Frame: Measured at Year 1 ]
  • Clinical Global Impression: Severity of Specific Phobia [ Time Frame: Measured at Year 1 ]


Original Primary Outcome:

  • Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: Presence of Specific Phobia [ Time Frame: Year 1 ]
  • Clinical Global Impression: Severity of Specific Phobia [ Time Frame: Year 1 ]


Current Secondary Outcome:

Original Secondary Outcome:

Information By: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Dates:
Date Received: July 30, 2007
Date Started: July 2007
Date Completion:
Last Updated: June 6, 2013
Last Verified: June 2013