Childhood Fears and Phobias: Advances in Assessment and Treatment

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 199-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neville J. King ◽  
Peter Muris ◽  
Thomas H. Ollendick ◽  
Eleonora Gullone
Keyword(s):  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Behavioural Intervention ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Psychodynamic Treatment ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Animal Phobias ◽  
Recent Developments

AbstractThe specific phobias in children, such as night-time fears and animal phobias, should not be underestimated since they cause personal distress to the child and also much interference with daily activities. Intervention plans should be informed by multimethod assessment, using tools that are empirically sound and developmentally sensitive. This article selectively reviews a number of assessment tools including structured diagnostic interview schedules, standardised instruments such as anxiety or fear self-report questionnaires, and behavioural tasks. An overview is given of the main intervention approaches, from a behavioural perspective, including traditional behavioural intervention procedures such as systematic desensitisation and its variants, cognitive–behavioural therapy, and behavioural family therapy. The authors also present recent developments in psychodynamic treatment for phobic and anxious children. Finally, we present conclusions on the empirical standing of the various treatment approaches and also examine the important issue of treatment outcome prediction.

Social phobia in children and adolescents: assessment and treatment

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-106
Author(s):  
Neville King ◽  
Chris Madden ◽  
Bruce Tonge
Keyword(s):  
Social Phobia ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Assessment Instruments ◽  
Research Support ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Behavioural Strategies

A small proportion of children and adolescents experience a debilitating level of social anxiety, known as social phobia. Initially, we consider the phenomenology and aetiology of social phobia in children and adolescents. A number of age-sensitive assessment instruments or tools are briefly considered: a diagnostic interview, self-report instruments, cognitive assessment and self-monitoring. We explore cognitive-behavioural strategies that have been found to be useful in the management of social phobia. Although there is much research support for the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural strategies for adults with social phobia, it is emphasized that controlled evaluations have yet to be undertaken with socially phobic youngsters.

Community Trial of an Evidence-Based Anxiety Intervention for Children and Adolescents (the FRIENDS Program): A Pilot Study

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 236-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara J. Farrell ◽  
Paula M. Barrett ◽  
Susanne Claassens
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Behavioural Intervention ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Positive Treatment ◽  
Community Trial

AbstractThe aim of the current pilot study was to examine the effectiveness of the FRIENDS program (a cognitive–behavioural intervention for children and adolescents with anxiety) within a community-based clinic in Brisbane, Australia. A total of 18 children participated in the study and completed the FRIENDS program at Pathways Health and Research Centre, an innovative research-based psychology clinic for children, adolescents and families. All participants either met criteria for an anxiety disorder (N = 11) or were experiencing subclinical symptoms of anxiety (N = 7) before commencing the intervention. Before and following treatment, participants were assessed using a diagnostic interview and completed a number of self-report questionnaires. Results indicated that 73% of the participants who met criteria for an anxiety disorder before the intervention were diagnosis-free following treatment. Positive treatment effects were also found for questionnaire data, indicating that there were significant reductions on self-report levels of anxiety and depression following treatment. The outcome of this research suggests that the FRIENDS program is an effective treatment for children with anxiety, and results from this community trial replicate findings from controlled treatment trials.

scholarly journals An improved competence rating scale for CBT Supervision: Short-SAGE

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Reiser ◽  
Tom Cliffe ◽  
Derek L. Milne
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Supervision ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Internal Reliability ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Uk

AbstractRecent developments have led the UK government to deem clinical supervision ‘essential’ to a safe and effective national health service. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) supervision has been increasingly operationalized and manualized, but there are few psychometrically sound observational instruments with which to measure CBT supervision. This paper reports the factor analysis of a promising 23-item instrument for observing competence in CBT supervision (Supervision: Adherence and Guidance Evaluation: SAGE). N =115 qualified mental health practitioners (supervisors and their supervisees) rated the same supervision session by completing SAGE. A principal components analysis indicated that a two-factor solution, identified as the ‘Supervision Cycle’ and the ‘Supervisee Cycle’ components, accounted for 52.8% of the scale variance and also demonstrated high internal reliability (α = .91 and α = .81, respectively). These findings provide the basis for a shorter, 14-item version of SAGE, clarify the factor structure of SAGE, ease implementation, and afford more succinct feedback. Short-SAGE also improves implementation yield, taking half the time to complete as the original 23-item scale. These conceptual and practical improvements strengthen the role of SAGE as a promising observational instrument for evaluating CBT supervision, complementing self-report assessments of competent CBT supervision with an instrument that can fulfil the distinctive functions that are provided through direct observation.

Is the Progress of Children with ASD in a Behavioural Therapy Programme Influenced by Parents’ Hyper-Systemizing?

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-78
Author(s):  
Florina RAD ◽  
Ilinca MIHAILESCU ◽  
Alexandra BUICĂ ◽  
Mihaela STANCU ◽  
Emanuela ANDREI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Broad Autism Phenotype ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Behavioural Intervention ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
One Year ◽  
Therapy Programme ◽  
Autism Phenotype ◽  
The Way

"Background. In an attempt to find genetic explanations for the heterogeneous characteristics of autistic patients, research has shown that parents of autistic children are more likely than parents of neurotypical children to exhibit autistic-like characteristics, meeting the criteria for the so-called “broad autism phenotype” . Subclinical autistic traits have been identified in the families of children with ASD, in both fathers and mothers, but the way in which specific parental phenotypes influence the child’s pathology remains unclear. Methods. This study aimed to analyse the progress that a group of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have made during a behavioural therapy programme and the way their evolution has been influenced by the parents’ systemizing level. 52 participants (aged 2 to 5 years old) diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and both of their parents were included in the study. The severity of ASD symptomatology was assessed using the ADOS-G instrument, at the beginning of the study (T0) and after one year of behavioural therapy as well (T1), while the parents’ systemizing level was evaluated using the self-report Systemizing Quotient (SQ). Results. The ADOS-G scores showed a significant improvement after one year of therapy in both Communication and Social Interaction domains. Only the fathers` systemizing level (SQF) had a significant effect on the ADOS-G scores after one year of therapy, with greater improvements reported for children having fathers with higher SQF scores. Conclusion. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory. We consider that it’s particularly important to continue investigating the way that specific parents’ traits, including their systemizing level or their possible broad autism phenotype, can influence the severity of their children’s ASD or the outcome of the behavioural intervention."

Evaluation of a Brief Child-focused Group-based Intervention for Anxiety-disordered Children

2003 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa E. Cobham
Keyword(s):  
Rating Scales ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Behavioural Intervention ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Behaviour Rating ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural Intervention

AbstractThis paper presents a pilot study of a brief, group-based, cognitive-behavioural intervention for anxiety-disordered children. Five children (aged 7 to 13 years) diagnosed with a clinically significant anxiety disorder were treated with a recently developed 6-session, child-focused, cognitive-behavioural intervention that was evaluated using multiple measures (including structured diagnostic interview, self-report questionnaires and behaviour rating scales completed by parents) over four follow-up occasions (post-treatment, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up and 12-month follow-up). This trial aimed to (a) evaluate the conclusion suggested by the research of Cobham, Dadds, and Spence (1998) that anxious children with non-anxious parents require a child-focused intervention only in order to demonstrate sustained clinical gains; and (b) to evaluate a new and more cost-effective child-focused cognitive-behavioural intervention. Unfortunately, the return rate of the questionnaires was poor, rendering this data source of questionable value. However, diagnostic interviews (traditionally the gold standard in terms of outcome in this research area) were completed for all children at all follow-up points. Changes in diagnostic status indicated that meaningful treatment-related gains had been achieved and were maintained over the full follow-up period. The results would thus seem to support the principle of participant-intervention matching proposed by Cobham et al. (1998), as well as the utility of the more brief intervention evaluated.

A Survey of Speech-Language Pathologists' Approaches to Assessing Social Communication Disorders in Children

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Kristen Izaryk ◽  
Robin Edge ◽  
Dawn Lechwar
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Teacher Report ◽  
Formal Assessment ◽  
Language Sampling ◽  
Specific Assessment ◽  
Social Communication Disorders

Purpose The purpose of this article is to explore and describe the approaches and specific assessment tools that speech-language pathologists are currently using to assess social communication disorders (SCDs) in children, in relation to current best practices. Method Ninety-four speech-language pathologists completed an online survey asking them to identify which of the following approaches they use to assess children with SCD: parent/teacher report, naturalistic observation, formal assessment, language sample analysis, interviews, semistructured tasks, and peer/self-report. Participants were also asked to identify specific assessment tools they use within each approach. Results Participants most commonly assess SCDs by combining interviews, naturalistic observation, language sampling, parent/teacher report, and formal assessment. Semistructured tasks and peer/self-report tools were less frequently utilized. Several established parent/teacher report and formal assessment tools were commonly identified for assessing SCDs. Most participants use an informal approach for interviews, language sampling, and naturalistic observations in their SCD assessment process. Conclusions Generally, participants follow best practices for assessing SCDs by combining several different approaches. Some considerations for future assessment are identified, including the use of established protocols in the place of informal approaches in order to make the assessment of SCDs more systematic. Future directions for research are discussed.

Too Much to Bear

Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole J. Peak ◽  
James C. Overholser ◽  
Josephine Ridley ◽  
Abby Braden ◽  
Lauren Fisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Concurrent Validity ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Perceived Burdensomeness ◽  
Scale Method

Abstract. Background: People who feel they have become a burden on others may become susceptible to suicidal ideation. When people no longer feel capable or productive, they may assume that friends and family members would be better off without them. Aim: The present study was designed to assess preliminary psychometric properties of a new measure, the Perceived Burdensomeness (PBS) Scale. Method: Depressed psychiatric patients (N = 173) were recruited from a veterans affairs medical center. Patients were assessed with a structured diagnostic interview and self-report measures assessing perceived burdensomeness, depression severity, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. Results: The present study supported preliminary evidence of reliability and concurrent validity of the PBS. Additionally, perceived burdensomeness was significantly associated with higher levels of hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Conclusion: It is hoped that with the aid of the PBS clinicians may be able to intervene more specifically in the treatment of suicidality.

Assessing OCD Symptoms and Severity

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Dorfan ◽  
Sheila R. Woody
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Plan ◽  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Evidence Based Treatment ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Symptom Profile ◽  
Diagnostic Interviews

This chapter describes methods and tools for assessing obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The chapter outlines the purposes of assessment and discusses special challenges presented by OCD, such as shame associated with socially unacceptable obsessional content. Several types of assessment tools are discussed, including structured diagnostic interviews, semistructured clinician interviews to assess OCD symptom profile and severity, self-report instruments, behavioral assessment and self-monitoring, assessment of appraisals and beliefs relevant to OCD, and functional impairment. The importance of linking assessment findings to an evidence-based treatment plan is discussed.

scholarly journals Current Practices and Future Pathways towards Competencies in Education for Sustainable Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8733
Author(s):  
Gisela Cebrián ◽  
Mercè Junyent ◽  
Ingrid Mulà
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Informal Education ◽  
Model Building ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Group Model ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Competencies Development

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development reflects the urgency to embed the principles of education for sustainable development (ESD) into all levels of education. ESD, understood as an integral part of quality education and where all educational institutions, from preschool to higher education and in non-formal and informal education, can and should foster the development of sustainability competencies. This Special Issue entitled “Competencies in Education for Sustainable Development II” responds to this urgency and the papers presented deliver recent developments in the field of sustainability and ESD competencies. They focus on various perspectives: systematic literature reviews and conceptual contributions; curriculum developments and pedagogical approaches to explore competencies’ development, such as action research, serious games, augmented reality, multi-course project-based learning and group model building processes; testing and validation of assessment tools and processes for linking sustainability competencies to employability and quality assurance processes. The contributions show how the field of sustainability and ESD competencies has become a major focus in recent years and present emerging research developments. Further research efforts need to be put into operationalizing sustainability competencies and developing tools that help measure and assess students’ and educators’ competencies development.

Childhood trauma moderates morphometric associations between orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala: implications for pathological personality traits

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Nadia Bounoua ◽  
Rickie Miglin ◽  
Jeffrey M. Spielberg ◽  
Curtis L. Johnson ◽  
Naomi Sadeh
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Pathological Personality Traits

Abstract Background Research has demonstrated that chronic stress exposure early in development can lead to detrimental alterations in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)–amygdala circuit. However, the majority of this research uses functional neuroimaging methods, and thus the extent to which childhood trauma corresponds to morphometric alterations in this limbic-cortical network has not yet been investigated. This study had two primary objectives: (i) to test whether anatomical associations between OFC–amygdala differed between adults as a function of exposure to chronic childhood assaultive trauma and (ii) to test how these environment-by-neurobiological effects relate to pathological personality traits. Methods Participants were 137 ethnically diverse adults (48.1% female) recruited from the community who completed a clinical diagnostic interview, a self-report measure of pathological personality traits, and anatomical MRI scans. Results Findings revealed that childhood trauma moderated bilateral OFC–amygdala volumetric associations. Specifically, adults with childhood trauma exposure showed a positive association between medial OFC volume and amygdalar volume, whereas adults with no childhood exposure showed the negative OFC–amygdala structural association observed in prior research with healthy samples. Examination of the translational relevance of trauma-related alterations in OFC–amygdala volumetric associations for disordered personality traits revealed that trauma exposure moderated the association of OFC volume with antagonistic and disinhibited phenotypes, traits characteristic of Cluster B personality disorders. Conclusions The OFC–amygdala circuit is a potential anatomical pathway through which early traumatic experiences perpetuate emotional dysregulation into adulthood and confer risk for personality pathology. Results provide novel evidence of divergent neuroanatomical pathways to similar personality phenotypes depending on early trauma exposure.

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