Abstract
High anxiety and anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental health problems in children and lead to significant interference with children’s daily functioning. Most empirical evaluations of treatment come from English-language countries. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and replicate the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral intervention program to manage anxiety in children among children from Greece. Forty-one children–parent(s) dyads participated in the study. Children were 9–12 years old, with clinically elevated symptoms of anxiety, and they were assigned to either the standard group treatment (cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)) or to a waitlist group (WL). Both children and their parents in the CBT group reported statistically significant reductions in children’s anxiety symptoms at post-intervention and at the 6-month follow-up. A significant reduction was also found in life interference due to anxiety according to both child and parent reports. In contrast, no significant changes in anxiety symptoms or life interference were reported among the WL. The current results support the effectiveness of a CBT program for anxious children from a non-clinic, non-school setting in Greece.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 211-223 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Psychiatry International |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright the Author(s) 2021. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.Keywords
- anxiety
- CBT treatment
- child
- parent