Pre-treatment child and family characteristics as predictors of outcome in cognitive behavioural therapy for youth anxiety disorders. (November 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lundkvist-Houndoumadi, Irene; Hougaard, Esben; Thastum, Mikael
• Is Part Of: Nordic journal of psychiatry. Volume 68:Number 8(2014)
• Page Start: 524
• Page End: 535
• Publication Date: 2014-11
• Subjects: Psychopharmacology -- Periodicals; Psychotherapy -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Scandinavia -- Periodicals; 616.89
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0803-9488

Abstract

<abstract> <title>Abstract</title> <p> <italic>Background</italic>: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been found to be effective for children and adolescents (6–18 years) with anxiety disorders, but the non-response rate is high—a fact that may argue for the importance of studies on pre-treatment characteristics of children and their families that predict treatment outcome. <italic>Aims</italic>: To provide a systematic review of clinical and demographic pre-treatment child and family predictors of treatment outcome in CBT for anxiety disorders in youth. <italic>Method</italic>: A systematic literature search was conducted based on electronic databases (PsycINFO, Embase and PubMed), and retrieved studies were analysed according to the box-score method of counting significant findings. <italic>Results</italic>: 24 studies with a sample size ≥ 60 were located. Most studies dealt with the following predictors: child age, gender, comorbidity, symptom severity and parental psychopathology. There was some evidence that a higher degree of pre-treatment symptomatic severity and non-anxiety comorbidity predicted higher end-state severity, but not a lesser degree of improvement. There was some but inconsistent support for a negative influence of parental psychopathology. <italic>Conclusion:</italic> Studies on pre-treatment child and family predictors of outcome in CBT for youth anxiety disorders have until now resulted in few findings of clinical or theoretical significance.</p> </abstract>