Anxious Kids Do Well with Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
British researchers from the University of Dundee, UK, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the appeal and the effectiveness of internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for kids diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
A systematic search of 7 electronic databases was conducted to assess CBT intervention for children with anxiety problems with remote delivery either entirely or partly via technology, yielding 6 articles altogether, reporting on 7 studies.
The findings suggested that web based CBT programs were well received by children and their families, and efficacy was almost as favorable as clinic-based CBT.
The investigators conclude that their analysis supports the online delivery of CBT. However, more study is needed, as the mixture of younger children and adolescents, the diverse range of programs and the inconsistency in study designs made it hard to draw definitive conclusions.
Citation: Rooksby M1, Elouafkaoui P2, Humphris G3, Clarkson J4, Freeman R5. Internet-assisted delivery of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for childhood anxiety: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2015 Jan;29:83-92. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.11.006. Epub 2014 Dec 4. [email protected]
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