Treatment of childhood anxiety disorders: a preliminary comparison between cognitive-behavioral group therapy and a psychological placebo intervention

Abstract

The present study examined the efficacy of group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders. Thirty high-anxious children (aged 9-12 years) were assigned to either (a) group CBT (n = 10), (b) a psychological placebo intervention (i.e., emotional disclosure [ED]; n = 10), or (c) a no-treatment control condition (n = 10). Therapy outcome measures (i.e., children's self-report of anxiety disorders symptoms, depression, and trait anxiety) were obtained three months before treatment, at pretreatment, and at posttreatment. Results showed that levels of psychopathological symptoms remained relatively stable during the three months preceding treatment. Most importantly, pretreatment-posttreatment comparisons indicated that CBT was superior to ED and the no-treatment control condition. That is, only in the CBT condition significant reductions of anxiety disorders symptoms, trait anxiety, and depression were observed. These findings can be taken as further evidence for the efficacy of CBT in the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders.