Effectiveness of Group CBT in Children With Mixed Psychiatric Disorders

Effectiveness of Group CBT on Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms in Children With Mixed Psychiatric Disorders

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT05519943

Enrollment

103

Registered

2022-08-29

Start date

2016-07-01

Completion date

2021-10-01

Last updated

2022-08-30

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Child Behavior Problem

Keywords

children, group cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms

Brief summary

This study aims to examine the immediate and longer-term effectiveness of a group cognitive behavioral therapy intervention (GCBT) in reducing internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children treated for mixed psychiatric disorders in naturalistic clinical settings. Further, the effectiveness of GCBT is compared to a treatment-as-usual condition (TAU). Within this study, it is hypothesized that children with mixed psychiatric disorders will exhibit improvements in parent-rated internalizing problem behavior and parent- and teacher-rated externalizing problem behavior following GCBT.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALThe Friends program

A GCBT intervention comprising ten weekly 60-minute sessions followed by two booster sessions

BEHAVIORALTAU condition

A TAU waitlist condition during which participants received routine care services tailored to each child individually.

Study design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

6 Years to 13 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Helsinki University Hospital child psychiatric outpatient clinic patients with symptoms of anxiety or depression, deficiencies in emotional and behavioral skills impairing functioning, and sufficient social and cognitive skills to participate in group work.

Exclusion criteria

* Helsinki University Hospital child psychiatric outpatient clinic patients with excessive physical aggression, excessive physical restlessness to enable skill training, or whose severity of psychiatric symptoms required individual psychotherapy (e.g., acute suicidality or psychosis).

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in parent- and teacher rated internalizing and externalizing symptoms	From referral to GCBT to 6-month follow-up	The Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) and the Teacher´s Report Form (TRF)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026