Comparing the Effectiveness of Two Family-based Therapies in Treating Young Children With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

March 7, 2013 updated by: Jennifer B. Freeman, Rhode Island Hospital

Family Based Treatment for Early Childhood OCD

This study will compare the effectiveness of family-based cognitive behavioral therapy to family-based relaxation therapy in treating young children with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder that affects approximately 1 in 200 children. Although feelings of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty are a normal part of life and growing up, for some children these feelings and emotions become chronic, relentless, and progressively worse if left untreated. OCD is characterized by obsessions, or repeated unsettling thoughts, causing a person to perform repeated actions called compulsions. Children are typically not diagnosed with OCD until they are between the ages of 8 and 12, leaving many young children undiagnosed. Additionally, no psychotherapy treatments have been designed for young children who are under the age of 8 and have OCD. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a family-based treatment program for children, ages 5 to 8, who have been diagnosed with OCD.

Participants in this open-label study will be randomly assigned to receive either cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) or relaxation therapy for 12 sessions over a period of 14 weeks. All children will undergo a 3-hour screening that will include a psychiatric evaluation and the completion of questionnaires. Parents of participating children will attend the first two treatment sessions without their children during which they will be introduced to the treatment program and will learn various skills to be used throughout treatment. The other 10 1-hour sessions will be attended by both the parent and child. Participants assigned to receive CBT will learn skills to help control OCD. Education about OCD, family therapy, parent training to manage child behavior problems, and anxiety management will be included in the CBT sessions. Participants assigned to receive relaxation therapy will discuss general family functioning, issues related to OCD, and other behavioral problems the child may be experiencing. Treatment will also include education about OCD; affective education, during which participants will learn how to recognize feelings; muscle relaxation techniques; and guided imagery. Participants in both treatment groups will receive weekly homework assignments after each session to practice skills learned. Parents will also be asked to monitor their child's behavior and practice the learned skills with their child as often as possible. If treatment has not been successful after the 14-week period, the child will be offered an alternative treatment. All participants will be assessed before treatment; at 5, 9, and 14 weeks of treatment; and at 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
127

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705
        • Duke Child And Family Study Center
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • University of Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02903
        • Brown Medical School/ Rhode Island Hospital/ Pediatric Anxiety Research Clinic

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

5 years to 8 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Meets DSM-IV criteria for OCD
  • Parent willing to sign informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History or current diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder(s), thought disorder, or mental retardation
  • Psychotic symptoms

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Cognitive behavioral therapy
Participants will receive cognitive behavioral therapy.
Behavioral: Cognitive Behavior Therapy
CBT includes 12 treatment sessions over 14 weeks. The sessions deliver family-based exposure with response prevention. Participants assigned to receive CBT will learn skills to help control OCD. CBT sessions will also include education about OCD, family therapy, parent training to manage child behavior problems, and anxiety management.
Active Comparator: Relaxation therapy.
Participants will receive relaxation therapy.
Behavioral: Relaxation Therapy
Relaxation therapy includes 12 sessions delivered over 14 weeks. Participants assigned to receive relaxation therapy will discuss general family functioning, issues related to OCD, and other behavioral problems the child may be experiencing.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale
Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at Months 3, 6, and 12
Measured immediately post-treatment and at Months 3, 6, and 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Clinical Global Improvement
Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at Months 3, 6, and 12
Measured immediately post-treatment and at Months 3, 6, and 12

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Rhode Island Hospital

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Jennifer B. Freeman, PhD, Rhode Island Hospital/ Brown Medical School
  • Principal Investigator: Marty Franklin, PhD, University of Pennsylvania
  • Principal Investigator: John S. March, MD, Duke University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 19, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 19, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 21, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 11, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 7, 2013

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • R01MH079217 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • DSIR 84-CTS (Division of Services and Intervention Research)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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