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. 2016 Sep;33(9):840-7.
doi: 10.1002/da.22520. Epub 2016 May 23.

ACCOMMODATION AND TREATMENT OF ANXIOUS YOUTH

Elana R Kagan  1 , Jeremy S Peterman  2 , Matthew M Carper  2 , Philip C Kendall  2
Affiliations

ACCOMMODATION AND TREATMENT OF ANXIOUS YOUTH

Elana R Kagan et al. Depress Anxiety. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Parental accommodation refers to the ways in which a parent modifies their behavior to avoid or reduce the distress their child experiences. Parents of youth with anxiety disorders have been found to accommodate their child's anxiety in a variety of ways that contribute to the maintenance of the disorder. The current study evaluated the relationship between parental accommodation and the outcome of treatment for youth with anxiety.

Methods: Sixty-two youth (age 6-17) and their parents were evaluated for youth anxiety and parental accommodation before and after treatment. All youth received individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Results: Parental accommodation was significantly reduced from before to after treatment. Reduction in parent-rated accommodation was significantly associated with the severity of youth's posttreatment anxiety, even when controlling for pretreatment youth anxiety. Level of pretreatment accommodation was significantly associated with treatment response.

Conclusions: Findings indicate that parental accommodation is significantly reduced after individual youth CBT, and suggest that accommodation may be an important treatment focus. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

Keywords: anxiety; cognitive behavioral therapy; family factors; parental accommodation; treatment outcome.

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