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Parents’ Perceptions of Novel Treatments for Child and Adolescent Specific Phobia and Anxiety Disorders

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Abstract

This study aimed to examine parents’ perceptions of established treatments, including cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), relative to novel treatments of d-cycloserine (DCS) and attention bias modification (ABM) augmented CBT to determine if novel treatments are perceived as more or less favorable than established treatments. Participants included parents of children with a specific phobia, enrolled in one of two randomized controlled trials of either one-session augmented DCS (n = 38, Gold Coast) or ABM augmented one-session treatment (n = 34, Brisbane), as well as parents from a community sample (n = 38). Parents of children with a specific phobia perceived CBT most favorably. There was no difference between the sites on perceptions of ABM. However, parents of children enrolled in the DCS trial perceived DCS more favorably than parents of children enrolled in the ABM trial and the community sample. These results demonstrate parents’ greater acceptance of psychological treatments over pharmacological treatments for the treatment of childhood phobias, highlighting the importance of educating parents to novel treatments.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Psychology and Menzies Health Institute QLD, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, QLD, 4222, Australia

    Carly L. Roberts, Lara J. Farrell & Ella L. Oar

  2. School of Applied Psychology and Menzies Health Institute, Griffith University, Mount Gravatt Campus, Mount Gravatt, QLD, 4122, Australia

    Allison M. Waters

  3. Child Study Centre, Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA

    Thomas H. Ollendick

Authors
  1. Carly L. Roberts
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  2. Lara J. Farrell
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  3. Allison M. Waters
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  4. Ella L. Oar
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  5. Thomas H. Ollendick
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lara J. Farrell.

Appendix: Treatment Perceptions Questionnaire: Modified DCS and ABM Sub-scales

Appendix: Treatment Perceptions Questionnaire: Modified DCS and ABM Sub-scales

Directions: This questionnaire asks about parents’ perceptions of how acceptable different treatments are for child anxiety disorders. Please read the treatment descriptions below and answer the questions that follow.

3. Novel Treatment: Antibiotic Medication plus CBT

Advantages

Disadvantages

(a) Administered in a low dose and only before a therapy session

(a) As with all medications, DCS may have side effects, and should not be given if pregnant

(b) Relatively safe compared to other drugs, given it is an antibiotic

(b) It is a new treatment, so currently we do not know a lot about how exactly it works

(c) Evidence suggests it may achieve therapy outcomes faster.

 

(d) Evidence suggests it enhances CBT outcomes

 

d-cycloserine (DCS) is an antibiotic drug, recently found to improve CBT when given prior to behavior therapy. DCS does not reduce anxiety, but enhances learning and memory during and after therapy. Specifically, DCS enhances the transmission of GABA in the brain, a chemical that helps us to learn.

Duration of Treatment

Treatment involves the standard CBT course of therapy (i.e., 12–16 sessions), and DCS is given before or after each session.

4. Novel Treatment: Attention Bias Modification Training (ABMT) plus CBT

Advantages

Disadvantages

(a) Inexpensive and easy to use

(a) An additional task on top of CBT to complete

(b) No known side effects

(b) It is a new treatment, so currently we do not know a lot about how exactly it works

(c) Children may find a computer task interesting

(d) Evidence suggests it enhances CBT outcomes

Attention Bias Modification training was developed to help overcome problems of attention to threat which occurs with anxiety. Computer-based exercises are used to train individuals to pay attention either towards threat or away from threat to assist in overcoming anxiety.

Duration of Treatment

Treatment involves the standard CBT course of therapy (i.e., 12–16 sessions), and usually one session of computer training prior to each session.

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Roberts, C.L., Farrell, L.J., Waters, A.M. et al. Parents’ Perceptions of Novel Treatments for Child and Adolescent Specific Phobia and Anxiety Disorders. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 47, 459–471 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-015-0579-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-015-0579-2

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