Measures of cognition and coping in adolescents with anxiety disorder pre-and-post-cognitive behavioural therapy
Year: 2013
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Anxiety disorders (ADs) are functionally impairing and amongst the most common mental health disorders affecting adolescents in today's society 1 , impacting an estimated 9-17% of adolescents overall [2][3][4] .From an evidence-based perspective, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is currently the treatment of choice for ADs in adolescents 5 .Despite extensive use of CBT in treating adolescents with AD and significant progress in CBT research highlighting its efficacy, mediators of its effectiveness in youth remain largely unexamined 6 .This study aims at exploring measures of cognition and coping in adolescents with ADs pre and post cognitive behavioural therapy, as a basis for further correlational and mediational research in the realm of CBT.The study population was comprised of 25 post-pubertal adolescents, aged 12-18, with Social Phobia (SP), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and/or Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD).Using an open-label treatment design, participants with AD received CBT for 16 weeks following the Kendall's C.A.T. program 7 .Clinical assessment was accomplished using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV, Research and Lifetime Versions (ADIS-RLV) 8 and the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS) 9 , in order to obtain a composite diagnosis and severity score for each participant.Participants also completed self-report measures including the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI) 8,10 , the Negative Affect Self-Statement Questionnaire (NASSQ) 11 and the Response to Stress Questionnaire (RSQ) 12 .Analysis found statistically significant reduction in anxiety severity, as measured on the PARS, in patients following treatment with CBT.Patients also showed statistically significant improvement in cognition and coping strategies.Exploring the changes that take place in cognition and coping strategy over the course of CBT serves as a scaffolding for further investigation into correlations between such changes and treatment efficacy; a field of research that can aid in understanding why CBT results in clinical and therapeutic improvement amongst those receiving therapy, but also allow for the development of and improvement in CBT practices.
Author: Maria Psihogios
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2603038376