Comparison of Efficacy of Child Cognitive – Behavioral Therapy (CCBT) Versus Family Cognitive – Behavioral Therapy (FCBT) and Mother - Child Attachment Intervention in Reduction of Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children between 7-12 Years Old

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of child-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CCBT), family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (FCBT) and mother-child attachment intervention in reducing separation anxiety in children aged 7 to 12 years. Methods and Materials: The method of this semi-experimental study was pre-test-post-test with a control group and a three-month follow-up. For this purpose, 48 children with separation anxiety disorder were selected by purposive sampling and were divided into four groups of 12 people. The first group received child-based cognitive behavioral therapy, the second group received family-based cognitive behavioral therapy, the third group received mother-child attachment intervention, and the control group did not receive any intervention. The measurement tools of this research include the semi-structured diagnostic interview of mood disorders and schizophrenia for children and adolescents (K-SADS-PL) and Separation Anxiety Scale (Parental Form). The data were analyzed using mixed variance analysis with repeated measurement and Bonferroni's post hoc test. Findings: The findings show that child-centered cognitive-behavioral therapy has been more successful in reducing separation anxiety compared to family-centered cognitive-behavioral therapy and mother-child attachment-centered intervention. Also, family-centered cognitive-behavioral therapy has been more effective in reducing children's separation anxiety compared to mother-child attachment-centered intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study show that the therapeutic methods used can be effective in the treatment of separation anxiety disorder by psychologists and psychiatrists.