A One-Week Summer Treatment Program for Children with Separation Anxiety Disorder

描述(申请人提供)：这项建议的目的是支持申请人的进一步培训和研究发展，同时她进一步开发和评估为期一周的分离焦虑症暑期治疗计划。尽管CBT为青少年焦虑症的治疗提供了经验支持，但还需要更多的研究来进一步开发和更好地传播这种治疗方法。NIH已经认识到了这一需求，它呼吁对现有的有效行为疗法进行调整，使其对社区更友好。制定这一拟议的替代治疗战略的依据是，有证据表明需要对儿童进行对发展敏感的治疗，允许创造性地应用干预措施(包括家长参与)，纳入儿童的社会背景，并可能向社区传播。为这一奖学金提议的研究研究的直接目标是进一步开发和评估系统的认知行为干预的可行性和临床效用，针对参与者的症状和育儿实践，在密集的、为期一周的夏令营环境中为患有SAD的学龄女孩提供。次要目标包括评估干预对育儿做法的影响，以及这些变量对维持治疗成果的影响。为了测试这种干预的效果，30名患有SAD的女性儿童将被招募，并随机进入等待名单或治疗条件。所有参与者都将接受暑期治疗计划。参与者将在特定的时间间隔(基线、治疗前/等待名单、治疗后和6周随访)进行评估，以跟踪症状严重程度和病程，以及治疗满意度。预计参与拟议干预试验的儿童将显示出与等待名单情况相比，焦虑症状和功能障碍的显著改善。此外，这些变化将在干预后6周内保持不变。有机会进行这项研究，并接受受人尊敬的导师和专家合作团队的指导和培训，将有助于最终实现长期目标，包括对这种干预进行随机对照试验，通过社区友好型场所传播简短有效的治疗方法，并影响患有分离焦虑的家庭的治疗变化。从该方案的试点调查中进行的合作将有助于治疗的开发、干预措施的提供和旨在确定该干预措施的有效性的数据分析。将审查可行性和实用性，并将相应地改进治疗方法，以便随后进行调查。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this proposal is to support the further training and research development of the applicant while she further develops and evaluates a one-week summer treatment program for separation anxiety disorder. Despite CBT's empirical support for the treatment of anxiety disorders in youth, additional research is needed to further develop and better disseminate this treatment. This need has been recognized by the NIH, which has called for the adaptation of existing efficacious behavioral therapies so that they are more community friendly. The development of this proposed alternative treatment strategy is predicated on evidence supporting the need for childhood treatments that are developmentally-sensitive, allow for creative application of intervention components (including parent involvement), incorporate a child's social context, and may be disseminable to the community. The immediate goal of the research study proposed for this fellowship is to further develop and assess the feasibility and clinical utility of a systematic, cognitive- behavioral intervention, targeting both participant symptoms and parenting practices, provided within the novel context of an intensive, one-week summer camp setting, for school-aged girls with SAD. Secondary goals include assessing the impact of the intervention on parenting practices, as well as the influence of these variables on the maintenance of treatment gains. To test the efficacy of this intervention, 30 female children with SAD will be recruited and randomized to a waitlist or treatment condition. All participants will receive the summer treatment program. Participants will be assessed at specific intervals (baseline, pre- treatment/post-waitlist, post-treatment, and 6-week follow-up) to track symptom severity and course, as well as treatment satisfaction. It is expected that children who participate in the trial of the proposed intervention will display significant improvements in anxiety symptoms and functional impairment relative to the waitlist condition. Additionally, these changes will be maintained 6-weeks following the intervention. The opportunity to conduct this research and receive the guidance and training of esteemed mentors and an expert, collaborative team will aid in the eventual achievement of long term goals, including conducting a randomized controlled trial of this intervention, disseminating brief and efficacious treatments through community-friendly venues, and affecting therapeutic change in families struggling with separation anxiety. The collaborations in place from the pilot investigation of this protocol will assist with treatment development, intervention delivery, and data analyses aimed at determining the efficacy of this intervention. Feasibility and utility will be examined and the treatment will be refined accordingly for subsequent investigations.