Separation Anxiety Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
SAD, treatment, cognitive behavior therapy, family, children, anxiety
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether a specific family based cognitive behavioral treatment program is effective in the treatment of children with separation anxiety disorder.
Detailed description
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders both in adulthood and childhood. Recent research indicates that anxiety disorders in childhood and in particular Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) increase the risk of mental disorders in adulthood. Despite these results research on SAD is still limited compared to the vast research activity on adult anxiety disorders. The proposed research program will close a gap of current international research: It will test the efficacy of a family based cognitive behavioral treatment program specific for SAD. The research program consists of two parts. One study is aimed at children with SAD aged 5 to 7. 40 children are randomly allocated immediately to SAD-specific family-based treatment or to a wait list. For the second study 60 children with SAD (8 to 13 years old) are randomly allocated to either SAD-specific family-based treatment (SAD-CBT) or a well established global CBT program for childhood anxiety disorders (global CBT). In both studies treatment success is tested at the end of treatment as well as 4 weeks and 1, 2 and 3 years after treatment.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALfamily based cognitive behavior therapy
newly developed family based cognitive behavior therapy for children with separation anxiety disorder over 5 years old
Sponsors
Swiss National Science Foundation
University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
5 Years to 13 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Primary diagnosis of SAD * Age 5 to 13 years * Knowledge of German language * Consent to randomization and psychological testing
Exclusion criteria
* Comorbid Pervasive Developmental Disorders * Active psychotropic drugs
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Global Success Rating (GSR) | December 2009 |
| Separation Anxiety Inventory for Children (SAI) | December 2009 |
| DSM-IV criteria for Separation Anxiety Disorder | December 2009 |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) | December 2009 |
| Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) | December 2009 |
| Inventory for the Assessment of Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents (IQL) | December 2009 |
Countries
Switzerland
Outcome results
None listed