Indicated Prevention for Children At Risk for Anxiety

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的研究旨在评估有焦虑症风险的儿童的指示预防策略，其长期目标是帮助确定预防策略，以减少儿童，青少年和成年期焦虑症的发病率。本申请涉及对被认为有焦虑症风险的儿童的群体认知行为干预（GCBI）的有效性的随机对照评估。将98名8-13岁的儿童/青少年随机分配到GCBI或小组吸烟教育控制条件（SEC），这些儿童/青少年通过使用儿童多维焦虑量表（MASC，March，帕克，Sullivan，Stallings，& Conners，1997）的筛选程序确定为“处于风险中”。小组将由5-6名儿童组成。干预研究将是一项为期7周的受试者间GCBI和SEC比较，评估干预后结局和6个月随访时干预效果的持久性。我们的具体目标如下：1）比较GCBI和SEC在减少焦虑和相关症状（例如，抑郁症）; 2）比较GCBI和SEC在增加儿童功能（例如，在干预后和6个月随访时的学习成绩、一般功能）;以及3）确定干预的补救效果的预测因素。儿童的特征、家庭结构、生活事件的性质和数量以及干预前的精神病学将作为干预结果的预测因素进行评估。这些变量也将作为焦虑症发展的潜在风险因素和保护因素进行检查。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research is aimed at evaluating an indicated prevention strategy for children at risk for anxiety disorders with the long-term goal of helping to identify prevention strategies, which reduce the incidence of anxiety disorders in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The present application involves a randomized controlled evaluation of the effectiveness of a group cognitive-behavioral intervention (GCBI) for children deemed at-risk for an anxiety disorder(s). Ninety-eight children/adolescents, age 8-13, identified as "at risk" by a screening procedure involving the use of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC, March, Parker, Sullivan, Stallings, & Conners, 1997), will be randomly assigned to either a GCBI or a group smoking education control condition (SEC). Groups will consist of 5-6 children. The intervention study will be a 7-week between-subjects comparison of GCBI and SEC with evaluation of outcome at post-intervention and durability of intervention effects at a 6-month follow-up. Our specific aims are as follows: 1) to compare the efficacy and durability of GCBI and SEC in reducing anxiety and associated symptoms (e.g., depression) at post-intervention and 6-month follow-up; 2) to compare the efficacy and durability of GCBI and SEC in increasing child functioning (e.g., academic performance, general functioning) at post-intervention and 6- month follow-up; and 3) to identify predictors of the remediating effects of the intervention. Characteristics of the child, family structure, nature and number of life events, and pre-intervention symptomatology will be evaluated as predictors of intervention outcome. These variables will also be examined as potential risk factors for and protective factors against the development of an anxiety disorder.