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Cognitive-Behavioral Bibliotherapy for the Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Interventions
Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Bibliotherapy
Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Registration Number
NCT00690729
Lead Sponsor
UConn Health
Brief Summary

This 16-week program examines cognitive behavioral bibliotherapy to typical therapist-directed cognitive behavior therapy for children and adolescents with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Detailed Description

This study is designed to compare self-directed bibliotherapy and therapist-directed cognitive behavioral therapy for children and adolescents with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Both treatments involve exposure and response prevention (EX/RP), in which the child confronts OCD fears and is asked to refrain from compulsive rituals (such as repetitive handwashing, counting, etc.). Participants are requested to complete an initial evaluation to determine diagnosis, and four follow-up evaluations to assess symptom severity and change due to treatment for a total of 16 weeks. Participant involvement to self-directed bibliotherapy versus traditional cognitive-behavioral treatment will be determined through random assignment.

In the bibliotherapy condition, the child or adolescent will meet with a therapist twice over the course of treatment, along with a parent. The therapist will discuss a self-directed program of EX/RP to be implemented at a pace deemed appropriate by child and parent at their own home. The child and parent will be provided with a manual designed to instruct them how to cope with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This treatment involves the parent and child reading the book, performing exercises, and monitoring symptoms on a weekly basis for 8 weeks.

In the therapist-directed treatment condition, the child or adolescent will meet weekly with a therapist along with their parent. The therapist, parent, and child will work together to design and implement a program of EX/RP. This treatment involves performing exercises, monitoring symptoms on a weekly basis, and completing homework assignments. Parents will be asked to help coach their child with at-home exercises challenging the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This treatment lasts 12 weeks.

Evaluations will be conducted following the completion of each treatment to assess the efficacy of each treatment on OCD symptoms. The treatment and evaluations for OCD are provided free of charge.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
22
Inclusion Criteria
  • Ages 8-18 years old
  • Primary diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  • Both parent and child fluent in English
  • Parents must read at least a 7th grade reading level
Exclusion Criteria
  • Primary psychiatric diagnosis other than OCD
  • Current threat of harm to self or others
  • New use or dosage change of OCD medication 60 days prior to starting program
  • Current involvement with another psychosocial therapy

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
1Cognitive Behavioral BibliotherapyBibliotherapy - cognitive behavior therapy focusing on exposure and response prevention directed by the family
2Cognitive Behavioral TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy - therapist-directed exposure response prevention over a 12-week period
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Child Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale12 weeks
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
NIMH Clinician's Global Impressionweeks 4, 8, 12, 16
Children's Obsessional Compulsive Inventoryweeks 4, 8, 12, and 16
Child OCD Impact Scaleweeks 4, 8, 12, 16
March Anxiety Scale for Childrenweeks 4, 8, 12, 16
Children's Depression Inventoryweeks 4, 8, 12, 16
Child Behavior Checklistweeks 4, 8, 12, 16
Family Assessment Measure IIIweeks 4, 8, 12, 16

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

University of Connecticut

🇺🇸

West Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Institute of Living

🇺🇸

Hartford, Connecticut, United States

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