Neurofeedback Training and Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Introduction. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of neurofeedback (NF) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on the reduction of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder. Methods. The current pseudo-experimental study with a pre–posttest design was conducted on a population of patients with a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) referring to the child psychiatry clinic in Alexandria’s University Hospital, Egypt. The sample size comprised of 30 children and adolescents selected by random sampling method and assigned to groups of NF and CBT. Data elicited from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), which is a self-report scale for measuring two distinct anxiety concepts. Data were analyzed with SPSS. Student t-test was performed on CBT and NF groups. Results. The current study showed that both CBT and NF are effective in reducing the level of anxiety in the study subjects with no significant differences between the two groups. The obtained results also showed that NF therapy is an effective method with more improvement on state anxiety score, while CBT showed more improvement in trait anxiety score. Conclusion. Both treatments were significantly effective, and therefore neurofeedback training can be effectively used as a treatment approach for children and adolescents with GAD.