Predictors of treatment outcome for childhood anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis

Cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) is the most established treatment for child anxiety with approximately 60% of children no longer meet DSM - IV criteria for an anxiety disorder following a standard course of treatment. To optimise treatment, research is needed to determine which factors significantly contribute to treatment success. Research suggests a variety of factors may affect treatment outcome such as: i) child factors (such as age, diagnosis, severity of diagnosis and comorbidity 189 with other disorders), ii) parental factors (for example psychopathology and martial relationship), and iii) parent child relationship factors (including attachment style and relationship dynamics). This area of research is still in its infancy, and studies are often conducted examining a single factor. Therefore, before further research and experimentation can be conducted, these studies need to be combined and evaluated. This study aims to conduct a systematic review of previous research to determine which pre treatment factors predict treatment success in children aged 5 - 18. A total of 60 articles were identified which examine predictors of treatment outcomes in child anxiety disorders. All articles were assessed for quality and results were grouped and analysed based on the aforementioned factors. Where appropriate, meta-analytic analyses were also conducted. Results and interpretation of the analyses along with recommendations for further research will also be presented.