Guided parent-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for childhood anxiety: Predictors of treatment response

BACKGROUND: Guided Parent-delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (GPD-CBT) is a brief, effective treatment for childhood anxiety disorders, however not all children respond favourably. AIMS: To examine predictors of response to GPD-CBT. METHODS: Parents of 125 children (7-12 years) with an anxiety disorder received GPD-CBT over 2.6 or 5.3h. Recovery was measured post treatment and six months later. RESULTS: Younger children and those with primary Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) improved more post treatment, but older children and those without primary GAD had better outcomes at six month follow up. Fewer children allocated to 2.6h had recovered post treatment compared to those allocated to the 5.2h intervention, but did not differ significantly six months later. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of predictors of short and longer-term treatment outcomes can guide treatment decisions following this low-intensity approach.