Examining adherence to components of cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth anxiety after training and consultation.

The present study examined 115 service providers' adherence to components of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth anxiety prior to training, post workshop training, and after three months of weekly consultation. Adherence was measured using a role-play with a trained actor. We examined differences in individual adherence to CBT components across time and the relationship between number of consultation sessions attended and adherence ratings following consultation. Findings indicated that somatic arousal identification and relaxation were the most used treatment components prior to training. Adherence to all components of CBT increased following workshop training, except the usage of problem-solving. Adherence to problem-solving, positive reinforcement, the identification of anxious self-talk, and the creation of coping thoughts increased following consultation but usage of problem-solving remained low compared to other treatment components. Overall adherence remained less than optimal at the final measurement point. Number of consultation sessions attended predicted post-consultation adherence to identification of somatic arousal, identification of anxious self-talk, and positive reinforcement. Implications include tailoring future training based on baseline levels of adherence and spending more time during training and consultation on underutilized CBT components, such as problem-solving. Limitations of the present study, including how adherence was measured, are discussed. This study adds to the implementation science literature by providing more nuanced information on changes in adherence over the course of training and consultation of service providers.

Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxious Youth: Feasibility and Initial Outcomes.

We developed and evaluated a brief (8-session) version of cognitive-behavioral therapy (BCBT) for anxiety disorders in youth ages 6 to 13. This report describes the design and development of the BCBT program and intervention materials (therapist treatment manual and child treatment workbook) and an initial evaluation of child treatment outcomes. Twenty-six children who met diagnostic criteria for a principal anxiety diagnosis of separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and/or social phobia were enrolled. Results suggest that BCBT is a feasible, acceptable, and beneficial treatment for anxious youth. Future research is needed to examine the relative efficacy of BCBT and CBT for child anxiety in a randomized controlled trial.

An examination of behavioral rehearsal during consultation as a predictor of training outcomes.

The training literature suggests that ongoing support following initial therapist training enhances training outcomes, yet little is known about what occurs during ongoing support and what accounts for its effectiveness. The present study examined consultation sessions provided to 99 clinicians following training in cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth anxiety. Recorded consultation sessions (N = 104) were coded for content and consultative methods. It was hypothesized that behavioral rehearsal (an active learning technique) would predict therapist adherence, skill, self-efficacy, and satisfaction at post-consultation. Regression analyses found no significant relation, however, clinician involvement during consultation sessions positively moderated the relationship between behavioral rehearsals and skill. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Establishing Clinical Cutoffs for Response and Remission on the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED).

OBJECTIVE: To determine optimal percent reduction and raw score cutoffs on the parent- and child-report Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) for predicting treatment response and remission among youth with anxiety disorders. METHOD: Data were obtained from youth (N = 438; 7-17 years old) who completed treatment in the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal treatment Study, a multisite, randomized clinical trial that examined the relative efficacy of medication (sertraline), cognitive-behavioral therapy (Coping Cat), their combination, and pill placebo for the treatment of separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social phobia. The parent- and youth-report SCARED were administered at pre- and posttreatment. Quality receiver operating characteristic methods evaluated the performance of various SCARED percent reduction and absolute cutoff scores in predicting treatment response and remission, as defined by posttreatment ratings on the Clinical Global Impression scales and the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule. RESULTS: Reductions of 55% on the SCARED-Parent and 50% on the SCARED-Youth optimally predicted treatment response. Posttreatment absolute raw scores of 10 (SCARED-Parent) and 12 (SCARED-Youth) optimally predicted remission in the total sample, although separate SCARED-Parent cutoffs for children (12-13) and adolescents (9) showed greatest quality of efficiency. Each cutoff significantly predicted response and remission at 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Results serve as guidelines for operationalizing treatment response and remission on the SCARED, which could help clinicians systematically monitor treatment outcomes of youth with anxiety disorders in a cost- and time-efficient manner. Clinical trial registration information-Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders (CAMS); http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT00052078.

Barriers to and Facilitators in the Implementation of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Youth Anxiety in the Community.

OBJECTIVE: The study examined, from the perspective of therapists, the barriers to and facilitators in implementing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxious youths in community settings. METHODS: Fifty therapists (43% of the original training sample of 115 providers) participated in a follow-up interview two years after training and consultation. They reported on barriers to and facilitators in implementation of CBT for youths with anxiety. RESULTS: Qualitative analyses identified numerous barriers and facilitators, including client factors (for example, motivated clients facilitated the use of CBT, whereas clients with complex issues and numerous psychosocial stressors hindered its use), intervention factors (the structure of CBT helped facilitate its use for some providers, whereas others reported feeling constrained by such structure), and organizational factors (for example, the absence of support within one's institution served as a barrier, whereas supervision supporting the use of CBT facilitated implementation). CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this implementation trial align with conceptual implementation frameworks and may guide the tailoring of future implementation efforts in order to overcome barriers and maximize facilitators.

Sustaining clinician penetration, attitudes and knowledge in cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Questions remain regarding the sustainment of evidence-based practices following implementation. The present study examined the sustainment of community clinicians' implementation (i.e., penetration) of cognitive-behavioral therapy, attitudes toward evidence-based practices, and knowledge of cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth anxiety two years following training and consultation in cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth anxiety. METHODS: Of the original 115 participants, 50 individuals (43%) participated in the two-year follow-up. A t- test examined sustainment in penetration over time. Hierarchical linear modeling examined sustainment in knowledge and attitudes over time. Time spent in consultation sessions was examined as a potential moderator of the change in knowledge and attitudes. RESULTS: Findings indicated sustained self-reported penetration of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxious youth, with low fidelity to some key CBT components (i.e., exposure tasks). Follow-up knowledge was higher than at baseline but lower than it had been immediately following the consultation phase of the study. Belief in the utility of evidence-based practices was sustained. Willingness to implement an evidence-based practice if required to do so, appeal of evidence-based practices, and openness toward evidence-based practices were not sustained. Participation in consultation positively moderated changes in knowledge and some attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: Sustainment varied depending on the outcome examined. Generally, greater participation in consultation predicted greater sustainment. Implications for future training include higher dosages of consultation.

A probabilistic and individualized approach for predicting treatment gains: an extension and application to anxiety disordered youth.

The objective of this study was to extend the probability of treatment benefit method by adding treatment condition as a stratifying variable, and illustrate this extension of the methodology using the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study data. The probability of treatment benefit method produces a simple and practical way to predict individualized treatment benefit based on pretreatment patient characteristics. Two pretreatment patient characteristics were selected in the production of the probability of treatment benefit charts: baseline anxiety severity, measured by the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale, and treatment condition (cognitive-behavioral therapy, sertraline, their combination, and placebo). We produced two charts as exemplars which provide individualized and probabilistic information for treatment response and outcome to treatments for child anxiety. We discuss the implications of the use of the probability of treatment benefit method, particularly with regard to patient-centered outcomes and individualized decision-making in psychology and psychiatry.

Anxiety and related outcomes in young adults 7 to 19 years after receiving treatment for child anxiety.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated follow-up outcomes associated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for childhood anxiety by comparing successfully and unsuccessfully treated participants 6.72 to 19.17 years after treatment. METHOD: Participants were a sample of 66 youths (ages 7-14 years at time of treatment, ages 18-32 years at present follow-up) who had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and randomized to treatment in a randomized clinical trial on average 16.24 (SD = 3.56, range = 6.72-19.17) years prior. The present follow-up included self-report measures and a diagnostic interview to assess anxiety, depression, and substance misuse. RESULTS: Compared with those who responded successfully to CBT for an anxiety disorder in childhood, those who were less responsive had higher rates of panic disorder, alcohol dependence, and drug abuse in adulthood. Relative to a normative comparison group, those who were less responsive to CBT in childhood had higher rates of several anxiety disorders and substance misuse problems in adulthood. Participants remained at particularly increased risk, relative to the normative group, for generalized anxiety disorder and nicotine dependence regardless of initial treatment outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The present study is the first to assess the long-term follow-up effects of CBT treatment for an anxiety disorder in youth on anxiety, depression, and substance abuse through the period of young adulthood when these disorders are often seen. Results support the presence of important long-term benefits of successful early CBT for anxiety.

Defining treatment response and remission in child anxiety: signal detection analysis using the pediatric anxiety rating scale.

OBJECTIVE: To determine optimal Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS) percent reduction and raw score cut-offs for predicting treatment response and remission among children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. METHOD: Data were from a subset of youth (N = 438; 7-17 years of age) who participated in the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS), a multi-site, randomized controlled trial that examined the relative efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT; Coping Cat), medication (sertraline [SRT]), their combination, and pill placebo for the treatment of separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social phobia. The clinician-rated PARS was administered pre- and posttreatment (delivered over 12 weeks). Quality receiver operating characteristic methods assessed the performance of various PARS percent reductions and absolute cut-off scores in predicting treatment response and remission, as determined by posttreatment ratings on the Clinical Global Impression scales and the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV. Corresponding change in impairment was evaluated using the Child Anxiety Impact Scale. RESULTS: Reductions of 35% and 50% on the six-item PARS optimally predicted treatment response and remission, respectively. Post-treatment PARS raw scores of 8 to 10 optimally predicted remission. Anxiety improved as a function of PARS-defined treatment response and remission. CONCLUSIONS: Results serve as guidelines for operationalizing treatment response and remission in future research and in making cross-study comparisons. These guidelines can facilitate translation of research findings into clinical practice.

History of cognitive-behavioral therapy in youth.

The numerous intervention strategies that comprise cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) reflect its complex and integrative nature and include such topics as extinction, habituation, modeling, cognitive restructuring, problem solving, and the development of coping strategies, mastery, and a sense of self-control. CBT targets multiple areas of potential vulnerability (eg, cognitive, behavioral, affective) with developmentally guided strategies and traverses multiple intervention pathways. Although CBT is often considered the "first-line treatment" for many psychological disorders in youth, additional work is necessary to address nonresponders to treatment and to facilitate the dissemination of efficacious CBT approaches.