Treatment for Specific Phobias in Children

June 6, 2013 updated by: Thomas H. Ollendick, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

One-Session Treatment for Specific Phobias in Children

This study will compare the effectiveness of three treatments in reducing symptoms of phobia in children and adolescents.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Children with specific phobias may experience academic, social, and personal distress, as well as interference in day-to-day activities. One-Session Treatment has been found a rapid and effective treatment for adults with phobic disorders. However, its utility in the treatment of childhood phobia has not been examined.

Participants are randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: a one-session treatment group, an education/support group, and a waitlist control group. The one-session treatment group is directly exposed to a phobia object or situation during a 3-hour treatment session. In the education/support group, children are given information about fear and phobias and are taught how to deal with them through workbook activities. Children who participate in the one-session treatment group or the education/support group are assessed 1 week post-treatment and again after 6 months. Participants with improved symptoms have a 1-year follow-up. Participants with phobias that persist at 6 months are encouraged to participate in alternative treatment. Waitlist control participants are assessed pre-treatment and 1 month post-treatment. Those who continue to have phobias at the 1-month assessment are randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 active treatments.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

150

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

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

      • Stockholm, Sweden
        • University of Stockholm
    • Virginia
      • Blacksburg, Virginia, United States
        • VA Polytech. Institute and State University

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

Ages Eligible for Study

7 years to 16 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Primary diagnosis of specific phobia disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Mental retardation
  • Developmental disabilities
  • Suicide threat

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: Double

Collaborators and Investigators

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

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

October 1, 2001

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2006

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 7, 2003

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 7, 2003

First Posted (Estimate)

January 8, 2003

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

June 7, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 6, 2013

Last Verified

June 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R01MH059308 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • DSIR CT-S

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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