The Effects of Coping Cat Program on Anxiety, Emotion Regulation, and Resilience in Children Referring to Dentistry: A Case Study

Aims: The number of pediatric dental clients is on the rise. Besides, the relevant methods are costly and concerning; therefore, psychological methods are required to treat pediatric dental anxiety. The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of the Coping Cat Program (CCP) on anxiety, Emotion Regulation (ER), and resilience among 7- to 12-year-old children. Methods & Materials: This was a case study with multiple baselines and a one-month follow-up design. The research sample included 4 subjects referring to the dental clinic in Mashhad City, Iran, in May 2017. The study participants were selected by the purposive sampling method. The study subjects received 16 therapy sessions (2 weekly sessions) based on the CCP. The child version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-k) and Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale-Child (SCAS-Child) were used to collecting the required data. For data analysis, the graphical analysis method and the determination of recovery percentage were applied. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS v. 21. Findings: Anxiety scores in the pretest and posttest in the first child ranged from 62 to 44 with the recovery rate of 0.29; in the second child, it ranged from 57 to 37, with a recovery rate of 0.35; in the third child, it ranged from 48 to 35, with a recovery rate of 0.27, and in the fourth child, this rate decreased from 55 to 25 with a recovery rate of 0.54. Resilience scores in the pretest and posttest in the first child ranged from 52 to 75, with a recovery rate of 0.44, in the second child, it was from 43 to 66, with a recovery rate of 0.53; in the third child, it ranged from 58 to 74, with a recovery rate of 0.27, and in the fourth child, it increased from 64 to 89, with a recovery rate of 0.39. ER components also significantly improved in the examined children. Conclusion: The present study data indicated that CCP was effective in reducing anxiety symptoms as well as increasing ER and resilience among children aged 7 to 12 years referring to dentistry. Thus, this method can be used to reduce anxiety symptoms and increase ER and resilience in this population. This method helps the child to become aware of negative thoughts, find evidence respecting their negative thoughts, cope with anxiety, learn skills, and practice and repeat these skills.

La mise en œuvre d’une évaluation des besoins pour un conseil scolaire minoritaire : Interventions psychologiques centrées sur les enfants et les adolescents et basées sur des données probantes

Une évaluation des besoins a été menée dans un conseil scolaire francophone en Saskatchewan (issu d’une minorité linguistique) pour identifier des interventions basées sur des données probantes. Coping Cat et Incredible Years ont été identifiés dans ce conseil scolaire comme les interventions les plus pertinentes et faisables pour aider les élèves ayant des difficultés d’anxiété et de comportement. De nouvelles pratiques sont suggérées.

The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Internalizing Problems of Children With Externalizing Disorders

Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy on internalizing problems of children with externalizing disorders Methods: It was an experimental study with a pre-test/post-test control group design. Among the students of elementary schools of Tehran City, Iran, 90 boys were selected based on the mothers' report and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) by convenience sampling method. Fifty students whose scores equaled 63 or higher in the externalizing scale were diagnosed as individuals with externalizing disorders. Afterward, 32 individuals who acquired T-score ≥ 60 were assigned randomly in the experimental and control groups (each with 16 students). The experimental group was divided into two subgroups (8 individuals in each subgroup) and participated in 16 cognitive-behavior therapy (Coping Cat program) sessions (1 hour, twice a week). The control group received only the mainstream Program of the school. After the last session, their mothers completed the CBCL again. The obtained data were analyzed by One-way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Results: The results of One-way ANCOVA showed that the internalizing problems, i.e. withdrawn/depressed, somatic complaints, and anxious/depressed symptoms of the experimental group have reduced significantly after participating in the cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions. Discussion: Cognitive behavioral therapy (Coping Cat Program) is an effective method for reducing internalizing problems of children with externalizing disorders. Therefore, the program can be used to prevent the negative consequences of internalizing problems such as poor academic performance and social adaptation of the students with externalizing disorders.

A Close Look Into Coping Cat: Strategies Within an Empirically Supported Treatment for Anxiety in Youth

The Coping Cat protocol has shown both efficacy and effectiveness in the treatment of youth anxiety across numerous randomized controlled trials (RCTs), leading to its designation as an empirically supported treatment. The treatment is completed in two phases. In the first phase, children are taught a series of coping skills outlined using the FEAR plan acronym. The FEAR plan is then practiced in exposure tasks during the second phase of treatment. To illustrate implementation of both phases, and highlight core treatment components (i.e., exposure, flexibility within fidelity), a case description is presented. Directions for future research are discussed.

Les programmes préventifs en milieu scolaire auprès des enfants et des adolescents présentant de l’anxiété

L’objectif de cet article est de décrire les programmes de prévention de l’anxiété en milieu scolaire auprès des enfants et des adolescents. Nous rapportons d’abord quelques données sur l’épidémiologie des troubles anxieux, leurs conséquences et les coûts associés afin d’illustrer la pertinence d’intervenir de manière précoce. La section suivante présente le programme Coping Cat, qui a servi d’inspiration aux programmes de prévention. Nous distinguons ensuite les programmes de prévention en milieu scolaire selon leur nature : universelle, sélective et indiquée. L’accent est mis sur le programme FRIENDS, largement diffusé comme programme de prévention et reconnu par l’Organisation mondiale de la santé. Les résultats montrent de façon générale que les interventions sélectives et indiquées donnent des résultats plus importants, en particulier si elles sont animées par des spécialistes en santé mentale. Cependant, elles comportent certains désavantages, comme le fait de ne pas réussir à rejoindre les enfants qui pourraient le plus en bénéficier. Les programmes de prévention universelle rejoignent pour leur part tous les enfants et ils peuvent être implantés par les enseignantes. Les obstacles liés à l’implantation sont toutefois importants. La dernière partie de l’article contient quelques recommandations destinées à améliorer la prévention des troubles anxieux en milieu scolaire.