Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2010 Jul;38(4):497-504.
doi: 10.1017/S1352465810000287. Epub 2010 May 28.

Patterns and predictors of subjective units of distress in anxious youth

Courtney L Benjamin  1 , Kelly A O'Neil, Sarah A Crawley, Rinad S Beidas, Meredith Coles, Philip C Kendall
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Patterns and predictors of subjective units of distress in anxious youth

Courtney L Benjamin et al. Behav Cogn Psychother. 2010 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) ratings are commonly used during exposure tasks in cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for anxiety.

Aims: The present study examined patterns and predictors of SUDS in a sample of anxiety-disordered youth.

Method: Youth (N = 99) aged 7 to 14 (M = 10.4, SD = 1.8) were treated with CBT for social phobia (SP), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and/or separation anxiety disorder (SAD). Analyses were conducted using hierarchical linear modeling.

Results: Child's peak SUDS and magnitude of change in SUDS significantly increased between sessions. Higher child self-reported pretreatment total Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) score predicted greater change in SUDS within the first exposure session. Primary GAD diagnosis predicted less increase in change in SUDS between sessions.

Conclusions: Results suggest that higher pretreatment total MASC scores are associated with increased first exposure within-session habituation. Additionally, youth with a principal diagnosis of GAD experienced less between-session habituation, perhaps because they may have required more imaginal than in-vivo exposures.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Hedtke KA, Kendall PC, Tiwari S. Safety-seeking and coping behavior during exposure tasks with anxious youth. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. 2009;38:1–15. - PubMed
    1. Kendall PC, Hedtke K. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxious Children: therapist manual. 3. Ardmore, PA: Workbook Publishing; 2006.
    1. Kendall PC, Hudson JL, Gosch E, Flannery-Schroeder E, Suveg C. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disordered youth: a randomized clinical trial evaluating child and family modalities. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2008;76:282–297. - PubMed
    1. Kendall PC, Robin J, Hedtke K, Suveg C, Flannery-Schroeder E, Gosch E. Considering CBT with anxious youth? Think exposures. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. 2005;12:136–150.
    1. Knox LS, Albano AM, Barlow DH. Parental involvement in the treatment of childhood compulsive disorder: a multiple-baseline examination incorporating parents. Behavior Therapy. 1996;27:93–114.

Publication types

MeSH terms