Cool Kids: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in a Spanish Sample of Children and Adolescents with Anxiety Disorders.

ABSTRACT

Anxiety disorders (ADs) negatively impact functioning and life quality. Studies on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have demonstrated its short- and long-term efficacy. Cool Kids (CK) is a 10-session CBT-based group program administered to participants with ADs aged 7-17 years and their parents, and it has demonstrated efficacy compared with control groups. This study analyzes the effectiveness of CK in a clinical cohort of Spanish children and adolescents with ADs. CK was offered to 57 patients with AD and their caregivers at the Hospital Clínic, Barcelona. In all global registered measures, the results demonstrated a reduction of symptoms and their interference in daily functioning. Moreover, a significant improvement was observed in participants who completed more sessions. Thus, CK reduced the severity of anxiety and its interference over individual and family functioning.