A Single-Session Intervention for Families on Waitlists for Child Anxiety Treatment

Purpose

Lengthy wait times to access treatment for youth anxiety disorders is a critical issue. To help address this issue, investigators will pursue the following aims in N = 65 families on waitlists for outpatient youth anxiety psychosocial treatment. Aim 1 Pilot Phase: Develop and pilot a single session intervention (SSI) tailored for families on waitlists for outpatient psychosocial treatment for youth anxiety disorders. Investigators will pilot the single session intervention (SSI) with N = 5 families and use cognitive response interviewing to obtain data from parents and children, ensuring the content is understandable and accessible. The SSI will include psychoeducation on the cognitive behavioral conceptualization of anxiety, introduction to self-regulation strategies to manage physiological manifestations of anxiety, and cognitive restructuring of anxiogenic thoughts. The SSI will also involve parents and present strategies on how parents can support their children in managing anxious feelings and thoughts. Investigators will refine the SSI based on these data. Following the Pilot Phase, investigators will enroll an additional N = 60 families and randomize them to either the SSI (n = 30) or waitlist control (n = 30). Aim 2 Test Phase Acceptability, and Satisfaction: Examine acceptability of the refined SSI, as well as satisfaction with the SSI. Investigators hypothesize that users will find the module to be acceptable and will report high satisfaction. Aim 3 Test Phase Anxiety Outcomes: Demonstrate reductions in youth anxiety symptom severity. Investigators hypothesize that anxiety symptom severity and impairment will be significantly lower among youth who receive the refined SSI relative to youth on waitlist control. The main risk or discomfort from this research is that participants might feel uncomfortable answering questions about their behavior and feelings. Another possible risk is breach of confidentiality that could identify a participant as having elevated levels of anxiety. The benefits of this SSI would include increasing accessibility and scalability of treatment for youth anxiety disorders. Overall, this study will provide critically needed data to advance resource efficient treatment options for youth anxiety disorders.

Condition

  • Anxiety Disorders

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 7 Years and 17 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Be between ages 7 and 17 years - Endorse clinically elevated anxiety symptoms on either parent or youth report, as indicated by a score > 25 on the Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders-Child or Parent Versions (SCARED-C/P).

Exclusion Criteria

  • Parent report of past diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Bipolar Disorder, Tourette's Disorder, Psychotic Disorders, or Substance Use Disorders - Show high likelihood of hurting themselves or others - Not having access/connectivity needed for telehealth video conferencing to complete the module.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
No Intervention
Waitlist Control
Participants complete pre, post, and follow-up questionnaires. They have the option to view the SSI module after completing follow-up questionnaires.
Active Comparator
Single Session Intervention Receivers
Participants complete pre then receive the SSI module. Then they complete post and follow-up questionnaires.
  • Behavioral: SSI Module
    Single Session Intervention (SSI) module for youth with anxiety disorders and their parents. The SSI module will include psychoeducation on the cognitive behavioral conceptualization of anxiety, introduction to self-regulation strategies to manage physiological manifestations of anxiety, and cognitive restructuring of anxiogenic thoughts. The SSI module will also involve parents and present strategies on how parents can support their children in managing anxious feelings and thoughts.

Recruiting Locations

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Florida International University

Study Contact

Jeremy Pettit, Ph.D.
305-348-1671
jpettit@fiu.edu