Should parents be co-clients in cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxious youth?

Abstract

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders in youth has been evaluated in randomized clinical trials (RCTs), and recent studies have sought to determine if the effects can be enhanced by an adjunctive parent component. The rationale for adding parents as active participants to treatment for anxious youth includes the notions that parenting factors (a) can contribute to the maintenance of anxiety, (b) could facilitate the generalization of treatment gains, and (c) have had favorable results in treatment of other childhood disorders. To date, there have been 9 CBT treatment outcome trials with anxious youth that included parents in treatment. This article (a) provides a critical review of the research on active parent involvement in CBT of anxious youth, (b) calculates and reports effect sizes emerging from these studies, and (c) recommends areas for future research.