Purpose of ReviewThis review integrates recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. To inform personalized approaches to intervention, we also review recent research on moderators and predictors of outcomes. Recent Findings Meta-analyses provide strong support for the efficacy of CBT for youth anxiety disorders, including with preschool-aged children using appropriate modifications. Furthermore, there is evidence that CBT is an effective adjunct treatment to psychopharmacological interventions, and the combination of treatments may be most effective for some youth. There is limited evidence of consistent demographic and clinical moderators of outcomes. Recent work in neuroscience has highlighted novel predictors of treatment outcomes that, with replication, may aid in more personalized approaches to youth anxiety treatment. Summary CBT is efficacious for treating anxiety disorders in youth and lowering recurrence rates. CBT can also be an efficacious adjunct treatment for psychopharmacological interventions. Neuroimaging and psychophysiological measures of threat and motivational processing have shown initial promise in predicting symptom change with CBT, with potential implications for precision medicine.
Group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for adolescent depression, but outcomes vary. Our goal was to examine interpersonal factors that predict response to group CBT for adolescent depression using a broad range of outcomes, including depressive symptoms, session attendance, treatment completion, engagement, and improvement. Seventy adolescents (age 14–18) with depression completed self-report measures of social support and parental conflict and were offered an established 16-session group CBT program. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted for interpersonal predictors and CBT outcomes. Accounting for pre-treatment depressive symptoms, fewer social supports predicted lower likelihood of finishing treatment and less clinician-rated improvement. Greater pre-treatment parental conflict predicted fewer sessions attended, lower clinician-rated engagement, and less clinician-rated improvement. Results highlight the need to consider interpersonal difficulties in CBT, as they may present a barrier to treatment attendance, engagement, and improvement.
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