학술논문

Predictors of Treatment Outcome for Parent-Led, Transdiagnostic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Youth with Emotional Problems Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Document Type
Original Paper
Source
Child & Youth Care Forum: Journal of Research and Practice in Children's Services. :1-16
Subject
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Children
Adolescents
Anxiety
Depression
Predictors
Transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy
Parent-led
Language
English
ISSN
1053-1890
1573-3319
Abstract
Background: A brief, parent-led, transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach demonstrated utility among youth struggling with emotional problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Homework completion between sessions is directly associated with psychotherapy treatment outcomes in non-parent-led CBT interventions. The present study sought to examine the relationship between homework completion and treatment response in a parent-led transdiagnostic CBT protocol.Objective: The first aim was to determine if completion of between session CBT homework was associated with change in symptom severity. The second aim was to determine if pre-treatment anxiety severity, social anxiety severity, and depressive symptoms were associated with treatment outcomes.Methods: One-hundred twenty-nine parents of youth (ages 5–13) with significant emotional problems received 6 sessions of telehealth parent-led CBT during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on children’s anxiety symptomology, clinical severity, homework compliance, depression, family relationships, perceptions on the impacts of the pandemic, treatment response, and therapists rating of symptom improvement were collected.Results: Homework completion explained 9% of the variance in symptom improvement at post-treatment. Greater homework completion was associated with a significantly higher odds of treatment response (OR = 1.52, p = .001). Child anxiety severity, depressive symptoms, family relationships, and perceptions on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were not significantly related to treatment outcome.Conclusions: Completion of homework predicted treatment outcomes in parent-led, transdiagnostic CBT for youth with emotional problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, while controlling for parent-rated anxiety, depression, family relationships, and COVID-related distress. Enhancing and targeting homework compliance between CBT sessions should be a central element of parent-led treatment.