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

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目的是支持申请人的进一步培训和研究开发，同时她进一步开发和评估为期一周的分离焦虑症夏季治疗计划。尽管CBT对青少年焦虑症的治疗提供了经验支持，但还需要进行更多的研究，以进一步开发和更好地传播这种治疗方法。NIH已经认识到这一需求，并呼吁对现有有效的行为疗法进行调整，使其更适合社区。这一拟议的替代治疗策略的发展是基于支持儿童治疗需求的证据，这些治疗对发育敏感，允许创造性地应用干预成分（包括父母参与），结合儿童的社会背景，并可能向社区传播。为该奖学金提出的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，针对参与者症状和育儿实践，在密集的，为期一周的夏令营设置的新背景下提供，为学龄女童SAD。次要目标包括评估干预措施对养育行为的影响，以及这些变量对维持治疗收益的影响。为了测试这种干预的有效性，将招募30名患有SAD的女性儿童，并随机分配到等待名单或治疗条件。所有参与者都将接受夏季治疗计划。将在特定时间间隔（基线、治疗前/等待名单后、治疗后和6周随访）对受试者进行评估，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焦虑症状和功能障碍相对于等待名单条件的显着改善。此外，这些变化将在干预后维持6周。有机会进行这项研究，并接受受人尊敬的导师和专家的指导和培训，合作团队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，通过社区友好场所传播简短有效的治疗方法，并影响与分离焦虑作斗争的家庭的治疗变化。本方案试点研究的合作将有助于治疗开发、干预措施实施和旨在确定该干预措施疗效的数据分析。我们会研究可行性和效用，并会为日后的研究工作作出相应的改善。

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.