Abstract
The Unified Protocol for Children (UP-C) is a transdiagnostic Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy group intervention for children and caregivers targeting the treatment of children’s emotional disorders (EDs). The present study aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the UP-C in the Portuguese population using a single-armed design. The participants were 32 children (6–12 years of age) with an ED (anxiety and/or depressive disorder) as a main diagnosis and their parents. All participants received the UP-C intervention and were assessed at pretreatment, midtreatment, posttreatment, and 3 months posttreatment. Children, parents, the clinicians, and an external observer completed questionnaires to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the UP-C (e.g., satisfaction, motivation, and adherence). Children and parents also completed self-report measures assessing the children’s anxiety and depression and its interference and severity. The results of the present study support the feasibility and acceptability of the UP-C in Portugal; low dropout rates, high adherence rates, and high levels of child and parent satisfaction and motivation were observed. Moreover, significant reductions over time in children’s levels of anxiety and/or depression and of its interference and severity were found and were maintained after 3 months of follow-up. These results are promising and warrant a subsequent randomized controlled trial (RCT).
Highlights
Published: 4 February 2022In the past decade, several studies have consistently documented high rates of concurrent and sequential comorbidity of emotional disorders (EDs) in childhood, e.g., [1,2,3]
We decided to invite some public schools to collaborate in the study and to allow self-referral for the project by developing a website project so that parents who were interested in the intervention could enroll their children in the study
Throughout the recruitment process, the research team realized that a high number of children referred by school psychologists or by parents who registered on the project website were not eligible for this study
Summary
Published: 4 February 2022In the past decade, several studies have consistently documented high rates of concurrent and sequential comorbidity of emotional disorders (EDs) in childhood, e.g., [1,2,3]. ED is a nomenclature that groups anxiety disorders (e.g., separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social phobia), anxiety-related disorders (e.g., obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post stress traumatic disorder) and depressive disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder) [4,5]. These conditions have been increasingly grouped due to the evidence of high comorbidity between them, leading to a debate about whether these diagnoses are, distinct disorders or if there is an overlap between them (i.e., if they share the same phenomenological features) [6,7]. These EBTs have been strongly supported for their efficacy in treating specific diagnoses, e.g., [10,11], and remain the type of treatment most often implemented by mental health
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