Cognitive-Behavioral Bibliotherapy for the Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents

This 16-week program examines cognitive behavioral bibliotherapy to typical therapist-directed cognitive behavior therapy for children and adolescents with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Bibliotherapy; Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Detailed Description

This study is designed to compare self-directed bibliotherapy and therapist-directed cognitive behavioral therapy for children and adolescents with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Both treatments involve exposure and response prevention (EX/RP), in which the child confronts OCD fears and is asked to refrain from compulsive rituals (such as repetitive handwashing, counting, etc.). Participants are requested to complete an initial evaluation to determine diagnosis, and four follow-up evaluations to assess symptom severity and change due to treatment for a total of 16 weeks. Participant involvement to self-directed bibliotherapy versus traditional cognitive-behavioral treatment will be determined through random assignment.

In the bibliotherapy condition, the child or adolescent will meet with a therapist twice over the course of treatment, along with a parent. The therapist will discuss a self-directed program of EX/RP to be implemented at a pace deemed appropriate by child and parent at their own home. The child and parent will be provided with a manual designed to instruct them how to cope with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This treatment involves the parent and child reading the book, performing exercises, and monitoring symptoms on a weekly basis for 8 weeks.

In the therapist-directed treatment condition, the child or adolescent will meet weekly with a therapist along with their parent. The therapist, parent, and child will work together to design and implement a program of EX/RP. This treatment involves performing exercises, monitoring symptoms on a weekly basis, and completing homework assignments. Parents will be asked to help coach their child with at-home exercises challenging the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This treatment lasts 12 weeks.

Evaluations will be conducted following the completion of each treatment to assess the efficacy of each treatment on OCD symptoms. The treatment and evaluations for OCD are provided free of charge.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 22
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Connecticut
    • Hartford, Connecticut, United States, 06106
      • Institute of Living
    • Storrs, Connecticut, United States, 06269
      • University of Connecticut
    • Waterbury, Connecticut, United States, 06702
      • University of Connecticut
    • West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, 06117
      • University of Connecticut

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 8 years to 18 years (ADULT, CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Ages 8-18 years old
• Primary diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Both parent and child fluent in English
• Parents must read at least a 7th grade reading level

Exclusion Criteria:

• Primary psychiatric diagnosis other than OCD
• Current threat of harm to self or others
• New use or dosage change of OCD medication 60 days prior to starting program
• Current involvement with another psychosocial therapy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: 1; Bibliotherapy - cognitive behavior therapy focusing on exposure and response prevention directed by the family	Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Bibliotherapy; Minimal therapist direction for self-guided bibliotherapy involving exposure and response prevention
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: 2; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - therapist-directed exposure response prevention over a 12-week period	Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Therapist-directed exposure and response prevention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Child Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale	12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
NIMH Clinician's Global Impression	weeks 4, 8, 12, 16
Children's Obsessional Compulsive Inventory	weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16
Child OCD Impact Scale	weeks 4, 8, 12, 16
March Anxiety Scale for Children	weeks 4, 8, 12, 16
Children's Depression Inventory	weeks 4, 8, 12, 16
Child Behavior Checklist	weeks 4, 8, 12, 16
Family Assessment Measure III	weeks 4, 8, 12, 16

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: UConn Health
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Kimberli Treadwell, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2005
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): March 1, 2010
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): August 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 3, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 3, 2008
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): June 5, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE): August 30, 2010
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 26, 2010
• Last Verified: August 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Personality Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Compulsive Personality Disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: H06-170