Treatment Of Anxiety In Children Research Articles

Attrition in the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders.

The present study explored the differences between completers and terminators (including both refusers and dropouts) of an individual cognitive-behavioral treatment for childhood anxiety. Participants were 190 children with anxiety disorders and their parents: 146 completed treatment and 44 terminated. Terminators were more likely to live in a single-parent household, be ethnic minorities, and self-report less anxious symptomatology. Follow-up interviews indicated that identifiable child factors were influential in terminators' decisions to discontinue treatment. Among terminators, differences between refusers and dropouts were also investigated.

Cognitive behavioral pain and anxiety interventions in pediatric oncology centers and bone marrow transplant units.

Although research conducted on the treatment of pain and anxiety in children has found a number of cognitive behavioral interventions to be effective, it is not known to what extent this research has been put into practice. The purpose of this project was to obtain information on the use of cognitive behavioral interventions to help children and families cope with the pain and anxiety experienced during lumbar punctures and bone marrow aspirations. In this descriptive study, 15 Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Units and 32 Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Centers from across the country were surveyed using a questionnaire developed to obtain information on the use and effectiveness of cognitive behavioral interventions and the availability of support services. This survey indicates that most centers use a number of cognitive behavioral interventions to help children cope with painful procedures. However, some interventions, such as providing information before procedures and positive reinforcement after procedures, are used more frequently than interventions, such as rhythmic breathing, distraction, and imagery, that require more time and training. A variety of support services were available, although psychological services were primarily available on an as needed basis and support groups were not usually offered on an ongoing basis. In general, nurses are the major providers of these interventions, with other professionals providing interventions specific to their training. Nurses need to continue to study appropriate ways to incorporate use of effective cognitive behavioral interventions into the routine care of children with cancer.

Cognitive behavioral pain and anxiety interventions in Pediatric Oncology Centers and Bone Marrow Transplant Units

Although research conducted on the treatment of pain and anxiety in children has found a number of cognitive behavioral interventions to be effective, it is not known to what extent this research has been put into practice. The purpose of this project was to obtain information on the use of cognitive behavioral interventions to help children and families cope with the pain and anxiety experienced during lumbar punctures and bone marrow aspirations. In this descriptive study, 15 Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Units and 32 Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Centers from across the country were surveyed using a questionnaire developed to obtain information on the use and effectiveness of cognitive behavioral interventions and the availability of support services. This survey indicates that most centers use a number of cognitive behavioral interventions to help children cope with painful procedures. However, some interventions, such as providing information before procedures and positive reinforcement after procedures, are used more frequently than interventions, such as rhythmic breathing, distraction, and imagery, that require more time and training. A variety of support services were available, although psychological services were primarily available on an as needed basis and support groups were not usually offered on an ongoing basis. In general, nurses are the major providers of these interventions, with other professionals providing interventions specific to their training. Nurses need to continue to study appropriate ways to incorporate use of effective cognitive behavioral interventions into the routine care of children with cancer.

Parental involvement in the treatment of childhood obsessive compulsive disorder: A multiple-baseline examination incorporating parents

The efficacy of exposure and response prevention and the potential contribution of parental involvement in treatment were investigated for four children with principal DSM-III-R diagnoses of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) referred to the Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program. Monitoring consisted of parent and child diaries of obsessive compulsive symptoms and daily child Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) ratings for a 10-item hierarchy. Children progressed in a multiple baseline fashion through four phases: baseline monitoring, exposure and response prevention, exposure and response prevention plus parent involvement, and maintenance. Results through 12-month follow-up suggest that exposure and response prevention with parent involvement shows promise in the treatment of childhood OCD.

Family treatment of childhood anxiety: A controlled trial.

Family treatment of childhood anxiety: A controlled trial.

The nature and treatment of childhood anxiety

Several issues pertinent to childhood anxiety and related disorders are reviewed. These include the reliability and validity of existing classification systems, the diversity and shortcomings of behavioral assessment techniques, and the nature and efficacy of intervention strategies with this population. Particular attention is paid to the need to interface taxonomic, assessment, and treatment methods. A functional model of assessing and treating children and adolescents with school refusal behavior is presented as a preliminary example. Recommendations for future research by educators and psychologists are also discussed.

Current perspectives on anxiety disorders in children and adolescents: An overview

This report provides an overview of the status of child and adolescent anxiety disorders. General biological and theoretical concepts of anxiety are reviewed, as are current diagnostic systems. We then examine developmental, epidemiologic, and clinical data, as they add to our understanding of child and adolescent anxiety disorders. A brief discussion of the assessment and treatment of childhood anxiety is also included. Some areas of future research are identified.

Alprazolam in the Treatment of Anticipatory and Acute Situational Anxiety in Children with Cancer

A population of childhood cancer patients who undergo scheduled, periodic, stressful events such as bone marrow aspirations and spinal taps was chosen as a model for the investigation of the use of alprazolam in the treatment of anticipatory and acute situational anxiety in children. An open-label dose-ranging study was completed on 13 children. Because this was an early trial of a drug not approved for use in children, doses were low. Nonetheless, safe efficacious use of alprazolam was demonstrated and indicates that antianxiety agents may have a useful purpose for brief intervention situations in children.

Determination of bentazepam in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

Bentazepam (2,3-tetramethylene-4-phenyl-7-oxo-thiene), Fig. 1, is a derivative of thienodiazepine showing anxiolytic, tranquillizing, anticonvulsant, miorelaxing and sleep-inducing properties [ 11. Pre-clinical trials in volunteers have shown psychotropic activity for this drug such that the preparation may be considered as a tranquillizer with slight psychostimulatory properties. The drug also shows activity in combating symptoms of anxiety, restlessness, depression, difficulties in touch, sleep disorders [2] and in treatment of childhood anxiety [3]. Acute and chronic intolerance to the drug is rare at the clinical doses of 30-150 mg and is generally accompanied by side-effects similar to those displayed by several benzodiazepines. However these side-effects appear at doses greater than those normally used in clinical practice [4].

Rapid treatment of nocturnal anxiety in children

Night fears and sleeplessness in three children of varying ages arose from an initial anxious reaction to a realistic stimulus combined with its subsequent reinforcement because of its avoidance properties and of parental attention. Treatment using incompatible response training based on the principle of reciprocal inhibition and self-paced exposure along with operant reinforcement of appropriate sleep behavior was associated with the elimination of problem behavior within three or four sessions for all three children. Extended follow-up revealed maintenance of therapeutic gains accompanied by improvement in other areas of psychological functioning.

Oxazepam in the treatment of anxiety in children and the elderly

The nature of anxiety, particularly in the young and the elderly, is described. The difficulty of treating anxiety occurring at the extremes of age is emphasized. Oxazepam is exceptionally well tolerated by these patients and is considered to be the benzodiazepine of choice for paediatric and geriatric anxiety. Metabolic and pharmacokinetic factors may account for this distinction.