Forty-three youth aged 7–17 years old who fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for assorted specific phobias, were randomised to a one-session exposure treatment, a psycho-education package or a waitlist control conditions. Participants were assessed using semi-structured interviews, self-report measures and an individualised behavioural avoidance test (BAT). Assessments were completed pre- and posttest. At the 1-year follow-up, self-report measures along with a generalised version of the individualised BAT were re-administered. Results exhibited that both active treatment conditions were superior to the waitlist control on the BAT, self-efficacy ratings; however, no significant differences were found on functioning levels and other self-report measures with the exception of the Fear Survey Schedule — Revised. Additionally, no significant differences were found between the two active conditions at posttest or the 1-year follow-up. Implications and future research strategies are discussed.

The 13-item Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Specific Phobias (SEQ-SP) was developed as a measure of perceived ability to cope with phobic symptoms when approaching feared stimuli. This study examined the psychometric properties of the SEQ-SP in a sample of 43 Australian children and adolescents aged 7 through to 17 years. Participants met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for a specific phobia. Exploratory factor analysis yielded two reliable subscales labelled Cognitive/Physiological Efficacy and Behavioural Efficacy. A confirmatory cluster analysis revealed the possibility of three ad hoc clusters comprising of cognitive, physiological and behavioural classifications. Results furthermore provided preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the SEQ-SP. Psychometric evaluation revealed excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Additionally, results indicated that higher SEQ-SP scores were significantly correlated with lower scores on the Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index and higher scores on the Behavioural Avoidance Test, displaying evidence of moderate to excellent construct validity. This new self-report measure has a potentially useful role in clinical work and research with children and adolescents presenting with a specific phobia. Subsequent research examining the clinical utility of the SEQ-SP to predict treatment outcome is discussed.

Specific phobias are one of the most prevalent childhood anxiety disorders. Research suggests that phobias in children, such as animal or situational phobias, lead to significant impairments in peer relations, social and academic competence. Hence it is imperative to treat phobias within children and adolescents early to avoid more serious, engrained symptoms later in the lifespan. This review focuses on traditional exposure-based cognitive–behavioural therapies, and the more recent one-session exposure therapy for phobia treatment (Ost, 1987), a procedure that has only begun to be administered to children. Further, controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of 1-session exposure therapy with phobic children are urgently required. We also address challenges for researchers using psycho-education to control nonspecific treatment effects.

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