TY - JOUR
T1 - Group metacognitive therapy for children and adolescents with anxiety and depression
T2 - A preliminary trial and test of proposed mechanisms
AU - Thingbak, Anne
AU - Wells, Adrian
AU - O'Toole, Mia Skytte
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024
PY - 2024/10
Y1 - 2024/10
N2 - Preliminary research supports the feasibility of metacognitive therapy (MCT) in children with generalized anxiety, but the effectiveness of MCT in treating children with other anxiety and depressive disorders largely remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects associated with MCT in targeting symptoms of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents and to investigate mechanisms proposed by the metacognitive model. Ninety-seven participants aged 10–17 years (M = 12.9 ± 1.9, 82.5 % females) with anxiety and depressive disorders received eight sessions of group MCT. Participants were diagnostically assessed at pre- and post-treatment and completed symptom and process measures before, during, and after treatment, and again at three- and six-month follow-up. Multilevel models were conducted to investigate treatment-related and mediation effects. Results showed large reductions in total symptoms following treatment (d = 1.28). These reductions were associated with, and temporally preceded by changes in cognitive attentional syndrome (CAS), metacognitive beliefs, and self-reported attention control, but not objective attention control. Treatment gains were maintained at six-month follow-up (d = 1.18). Our results indicate that MCT may be a promising treatment for children and adolescents with anxiety and depression and provide preliminary evidence of changes in CAS, metacognition, and perceived attention control as potential drivers of treatment effects.
AB - Preliminary research supports the feasibility of metacognitive therapy (MCT) in children with generalized anxiety, but the effectiveness of MCT in treating children with other anxiety and depressive disorders largely remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects associated with MCT in targeting symptoms of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents and to investigate mechanisms proposed by the metacognitive model. Ninety-seven participants aged 10–17 years (M = 12.9 ± 1.9, 82.5 % females) with anxiety and depressive disorders received eight sessions of group MCT. Participants were diagnostically assessed at pre- and post-treatment and completed symptom and process measures before, during, and after treatment, and again at three- and six-month follow-up. Multilevel models were conducted to investigate treatment-related and mediation effects. Results showed large reductions in total symptoms following treatment (d = 1.28). These reductions were associated with, and temporally preceded by changes in cognitive attentional syndrome (CAS), metacognitive beliefs, and self-reported attention control, but not objective attention control. Treatment gains were maintained at six-month follow-up (d = 1.18). Our results indicate that MCT may be a promising treatment for children and adolescents with anxiety and depression and provide preliminary evidence of changes in CAS, metacognition, and perceived attention control as potential drivers of treatment effects.
KW - Adolescents
KW - Children
KW - Emotional disorder
KW - Mechanisms of change
KW - Metacognitive therapy
KW - S-REF model
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85204522426&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102926
DO - 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102926
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85204522426
SN - 0887-6185
VL - 107
JO - Journal of Anxiety Disorders
JF - Journal of Anxiety Disorders
M1 - 102926
ER -