The Role of Social Skills in Predicting Treatment-Recovery in Children with a Social Anxiety Disorder.

The current study investigated the role of social skills and its interaction with social anxiety as predictors of treatment outcome in children with an anxiety disorder either with or without a social anxiety disorder (SoAD). In total, 133 children (aged 8 to 13) with an anxiety disorder received a 10-session cognitive behavioral treatment (FRIENDS program). Pre- to post treatment Reliable Change (RC) and Treatment-Recovery (TR) were assessed from a multi-informant perspective, by including diagnostic information (ADIS C/P), child-reported anxiety symptoms (MASC) and parent-reported internalizing symptoms (CBCL-Int).

Common elements of evidence-based systemic treatments for adolescents with disruptive behaviour problems.

A growing number of evidence-based systemic treatments for adolescents with disruptive behaviour problems exist. However, it is not clear to what extent these treatments have unique and common elements. Identification of common elements in the different treatments would be beneficial for the further understanding and development of family-based interventions, training of therapists, and research.

A Measure of the Parent-Team Alliance in Youth Residential Psychiatry: The Revised Short Working Alliance Inventory.

Background: The therapeutic alliance between multidisciplinary teams and parents within youth (semi) residential psychiatry is essential for the treatment process and forms a promising process variable for Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM). No short evaluative instrument, however, is currently available to assess parent-team alliance.

Objective: In this study, the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Version (WAV-12), a widely used alliance questionnaire, was adjusted to assess parent-team alliance from both a parent and team perspective within a youth residential setting.

Developmentally sensitive cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescent school refusal: rationale and case illustration.

School refusal can be difficult to treat and the poorest treatment response is observed among older school refusers. This poor response may be explained, in part, by the impact of developmental transitions and tasks upon the young person, their family, and the treatment process. This paper describes and illustrates the @school program, a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) designed to promote developmental sensitivity when planning and delivering treatment for adolescent school refusal.

Cognitive mediation of cognitive-behavioural therapy outcomes for anxiety-based school refusal.

Background: Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) has proven to be effective for anxiety-based school refusal, but it is still unknown how CBT for school refusal works, or through which mechanisms.

Aims: Innovative statistical approaches for analyzing small uncontrolled samples were used to investigate the role of self-efficacy in mediating CBT outcomes for anxiety-based school refusal.

Method: Participants were 19 adolescents (12 to 17 years) who completed a manual-based cognitive-behavioural treatment.

The role of cognition in school refusal: an investigation of automatic thoughts and cognitive errors.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognitions of anxious school refusers. The cognitive constructs under investigation included negative cognition commonly linked to youth anxiety (i.e.

School refusal and anxiety in adolescence: non-randomized trial of a developmentally sensitive cognitive behavioral therapy.

The main objectives were to evaluate efficacy and acceptability of a developmentally sensitive cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety-based school refusal in adolescence. Twenty school-refusing adolescents meeting DSM-IV anxiety disorder criteria participated in a non-randomized trial, together with parents and school staff. Outcome was assessed at post-treatment and 2-month follow-up.

Distorted Cognitive Processing in Youth: The Structure of Negative Cognitive Errors and Their Associations with Anxiety.

The Children's Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CNCEQ) is commonly used to measure four errors in young people's thinking, but research has failed to support the factorial validity of the measure. The primary objective of the present study was to examine the factor structure of a refined and extended version of the CNCEQ. Revision of the CNCEQ involved the exclusion of items rated as contaminated, and the addition of items measuring cognitive errors closely associated with anxiety ('threat conclusion' and 'underestimation of the ability to cope').

Stepped care cognitive behavioural therapy for children with anxiety disorders: a new treatment approach.

Background: The current nonrandomized clinical trial explored changes over time in children with an anxiety disorder during stepped care, manual-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT).

Methods: Clinically anxious children (8-12 years, n = 133) and their parents participated in child focused CBT (10 sessions). If assessments indicated additional treatment was necessary, participants could step up to a second and possibly third treatment phase (each 5 sessions) including more parental involvement.

Examining the relation between the therapeutic alliance, treatment adherence, and outcome of cognitive behavioral therapy for children with anxiety disorders.

Little is known about the contribution of technical and relational factors to child outcomes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for children with anxiety disorders. This study investigated the association between treatment adherence, the child-therapist alliance, and child clinical outcomes in manual-guided individual- and group-based CBT for youths diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Trained observers rated tapes of therapy sessions for treatment adherence and child-therapist alliance in a sample of 52 children (aged 8 to 12) with anxiety disorders.

Assessing therapy-relevant cognitive capacities in young people: development and psychometric evaluation of the self-reflection and insight scale for youth.

Background: The effectiveness of cognitive-behaviour therapy with young people may be influenced by a young person's capacity for self-reflection and insight. Clinicians who assess clients' proficiencies in these cognitive capacities can better tailor cognitive and behavioural techniques to the client, facilitating engagement and enhancing treatment outcome. It is therefore important that sound instruments for assessing self-reflection and insight in young people are available.

The relation of severity and comorbidity to treatment outcome with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for childhood anxiety disorders.

The present study investigated the impact of comorbidity over and above the impact of symptom severity on treatment outcome of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for children with anxiety disorders. Children (aged 8-12, n = 124) diagnosed with an anxiety disorder were treated with a short-term CBT protocol. Severity was assessed with a composite measure of parent-reported behavior problems.

Parenting and parental anxiety and depression as predictors of treatment outcome for childhood anxiety disorders: has the role of fathers been underestimated?

A substantial percentage of children with anxiety disorders do not respond adequately to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Examination of parental factors related to treatment outcome could contribute to a further understanding of treatment outcome responses. This study investigated the predictive value of paternal and maternal emotional warmth, rejection, overprotection, anxiety, and depression for CBT outcome in clinic-referred anxious children (ages 8-12).

No differences between group versus individual treatment of childhood anxiety disorders in a randomised clinical trial.

Background: The present study compares an individual versus a group format in the delivery of manualised cognitive-behavioural therapy (FRIENDS) for children with anxiety disorders. Clinically referred children (aged 8 to 12) diagnosed with Separation Anxiety Disorder (n = 52), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (n = 37), Social Phobia (n = 22) or Specific Phobia (n = 16) were randomly assigned to individual (n = 65) or group (n = 62) treatment.

Method: Analyses were conducted separately for the intent-to-treat sample and the sample of children who completed treatment.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of assessment instruments used in psychological research with children and families.

With the increased globalization of psychology and related fields, having reliable and valid measures that can be used in a number of languages and cultures is critical. Few guidelines or standards have been established in psychology for the translation and cultural adaptation of instruments. Usually little is reported in research publications about the translation and adaptation process thus making it difficult for journal readers and reviewers to adequately evaluate the equivalency and quality of an instrument.

Dutch version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

A Dutch translation of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was made. In the first wave of data collection, self-report data of 11- to 16-yearolds (N = 970) were collected on the SDQ and other measures of psychopathology. In the second wave of data collection, extended versions of the SDQ were completed by 11- to 16-year-olds (N = 268), by parents of 8- to 16-year-olds (N = 300) and by teachers of 8- to 12-year-olds (N = 208); in addition, the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) was completed by the parents and the Youth Self Report (YSR) by the 11- to 16-year-olds.

The Dutch Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index: psychometric properties and factor structure.

Examined the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI; Silverman, Fleisig, Rabian, & Peterson, 1991) in a Dutch sample. Five hundred forty-four Dutch schoolchildren between 8 and 16 years of age completed Dutch translations of the CASI; the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (Spielberger, Edwards, Lushene, Montuori, & Platzek, 1973); and the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (Ollendick, 1983). The Dutch CASI was found to have adequate internal consistency for use with children as well as adolescents.