Cognitive and behavioural processes in anxious children/adolescents V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Cognitive and behavioural processes in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders
IRAS ID
171193
Contact name
Polly Waite
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Reading
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 4 months, 29 days
Research summary
Anxiety disorders, such as Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) are common in childhood/adolescence and are associated with poorer life course outcomes. The most effective treatment is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), which is designed to treat any anxiety disorder, rather than specific disorders, but around 35% of children/adolescents still have their primary anxiety disorder at the end of treatment. In adults, treatments tend to be disorder-specific, with better outcomes than typically seen in child and adolescent populations.
The core tenet of CBT is that emotion, cognition and behaviour are interlinked and each process influences the other. There is evidence in adult populations for disorder-specific cognitions (e.g. self-focused attention in SAD and intolerance of uncertainty in GAD) and behaviours (e.g. trying not to attract attention in SAD and procrastination in GAD). Disorder-specific treatments involve teasing apart and addressing these processes in order to break the associated vicious cycles. In children and adolescents, specific cognitive processes and behaviours have not been investigated.
The aims of this study are to examine whether cognitive processes and behaviours that have been identified in adults with SAD and GAD are present in both children and adolescents with SAD and GAD and to investigate whether these processes are specific to these particular anxiety disorders.
We will recruit children/adolescents with SAD and children/adolescents with an anxiety disorder that does not include SAD (i.e. GAD, Separation Anxiety Disorder, a Specific Phobia, Panic Disorder or Agoraphobia). We will also recruit children/adolescents with GAD and children/adolescents with an anxiety disorder that does not include GAD (i.e. SAD, Separation Anxiety Disorder, a Specific Phobia, Panic Disorder or Agoraphobia). Finally, we will recruit a non-anxious control group of children and adolescents. They will complete self-report questionnaires and their primary caregiver will also complete questionnaires reporting on the child/adolescent.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0081
Date of REC Opinion
20 Apr 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion