CBT for Anger and Aggression in Children: a Pilot Study of Irritability and Suicidality
17 de mayo de 2026 actualizado por: Geha Mental Health Center
CBT for Anger and Aggression in Children: A Pilot Study of Irritability and Suicidality
This pilot study evaluated whether cognitive behavioral therapy for anger and aggression, added to treatment as usual, was associated with reductions in irritability and suicidal ideation in preteen children with externalizing disorders.
Children aged 8 to 12 years who were referred to an outpatient child psychiatry clinic for irritability, anger outbursts, or reactive aggression were assigned to CBT-AA plus treatment as usual or treatment as usual alone.
The intervention included individual child sessions focused on emotion regulation, problem-solving, and social skills, with parent guidance sessions.
Irritability and suicidal ideation were assessed at baseline, during treatment, at the end of treatment, and at follow-up.
Descripción general del estudio
Estado
Terminado
Condiciones
Intervención / Tratamiento
Descripción detallada
This was a partially randomized, pragmatic pilot study conducted in a child psychiatric outpatient clinic at Geha Mental Health Center in Israel. The study included children aged 8 to 12 years with externalizing disorders, including ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, or conduct disorder, who were referred because of clinically significant irritability and/or reactive aggression.
Participants were assigned to cognitive behavioral therapy for anger and aggression plus treatment as usual or to treatment as usual alone. During the initial treatment cycle, allocation was conducted using a computerized randomization procedure with sequentially numbered, sealed opaque envelopes and stratification by recent suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior. In later treatment cycles, assignment was constrained by therapist availability and scheduling within the outpatient service. For these later assignments, participants were allocated according to treatment capacity and order of referral rather than by participant clinical characteristics.
CBT-AA was delivered as an individual, in-person, protocol-based treatment. The intervention focused on three main domains: emotion regulation, social problem-solving, and social skills. Treatment as usual consisted of routine psychiatric consultation, pharmacological treatment when indicated, and non-behavioral psychosocial interventions available through the clinic.
The primary outcome was irritability, assessed with the Irritability and Dysregulation of Emotions Questionnaire-13 and the Affective Reactivity Index. Secondary outcomes included suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior assessed using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Assessments were conducted at baseline, after treatment modules, at the end of treatment, and during follow-up.
The study was approved by the Institutional Helsinki Committee of Geha Mental Health Center. This record is being submitted retrospectively.
Tipo de estudio
Intervencionista
Inscripción (Actual)
46
Fase
- No aplica
Contactos y Ubicaciones
Esta sección proporciona los datos de contacto de quienes realizan el estudio e información sobre dónde se lleva a cabo este estudio.
Ubicaciones de estudio
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Petah Tikva, Israel, 49100
- Geha Mental Health Center
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Criterios de participación
Los investigadores buscan personas que se ajusten a una determinada descripción, denominada criterio de elegibilidad. Algunos ejemplos de estos criterios son el estado de salud general de una persona o tratamientos previos.
Criterio de elegibilidad
Edades elegibles para estudiar
- Niño
Acepta Voluntarios Saludables
No
Descripción
Inclusion Criteria:
- Child age 8 to 12 years
- Parent or guardian able to read and write in Hebrew
- Receiving care in the Geha outpatient child and adolescent clinics
- Clinical diagnosis of ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, or conduct disorder
- Irritability and/or reactive aggression as the reason for treatment seeking
Exclusion Criteria:
- Psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder
- Substance use
- Autism spectrum disorder
- IQ score less than 75 or clinical diagnosis of intellectual disability
- Immediate suicide risk requiring hospitalization as determined by the referring clinician
Plan de estudios
Esta sección proporciona detalles del plan de estudio, incluido cómo está diseñado el estudio y qué mide el estudio.
¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?
Detalles de diseño
- Propósito principal: Tratamiento
- Asignación: Aleatorizado
- Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación paralela
- Enmascaramiento: Ninguno (etiqueta abierta)
Armas e Intervenciones
Grupo de participantes/brazo |
Intervención / Tratamiento |
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Experimental: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anger and Aggression (CBT-AA) Plus Treatment as Usual (TAU)
Participants received cognitive behavioral therapy for anger and aggression in addition to treatment as usual.
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Protocol-based individual cognitive behavioral therapy for anger and aggression delivered in person in an outpatient child psychiatry clinic.
The intervention included three treatment modules: emotion regulation, social problem-solving, and social skills.
The emotion regulation module focused on recognizing anger triggers, monitoring emotional intensity, labeling emotions, identifying bodily signs of anger, and using strategies to reduce physiological arousal.
The social problem-solving module focused on interpreting social cues, considering other perspectives, generating alternative responses, and managing the effect of anger on thinking and decision-making.
The social skills module focused on assertiveness, prosocial responses to interpersonal conflict, role-play, guided practice, and generalization of skills to daily situations.
Parent guidance sessions were included, and parents were briefed by therapists during the treatment process.
The intervention was delivered in addition to t
Otros nombres:
Routine outpatient psychiatric care, including psychiatric consultation, pharmacological treatment when indicated, and non-behavioral psychosocial interventions available through the clinic.
Otros nombres:
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Comparador activo: Treatment as Usual (TAU)
Participants received treatment as usual alone, including routine psychiatric consultation, pharmacological treatment when indicated, and non-behavioral psychosocial interventions available through the clinic.
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Routine outpatient psychiatric care, including psychiatric consultation, pharmacological treatment when indicated, and non-behavioral psychosocial interventions available through the clinic.
Otros nombres:
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¿Qué mide el estudio?
Medidas de resultado primarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
|---|---|---|
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Change in Parent-Reported Irritability Measured by the Irritability and Dysregulation of Emotions Questionnaire-13
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline; end of Module 1, approximately Weeks 6 to 9; end of Module 2, approximately Weeks 10 to 15; end of Module 3/treatment completion, approximately Weeks 16 to 23; 1 month after treatment completion; and 3 months after treatment completion.
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Irritability was assessed using the Irritability and Dysregulation of Emotions Questionnaire-13.
Parent-report and child-report versions were administered.
Items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale from -3 to +3, and summary scores were calculated as the mean of completed items.
Higher scores indicate greater irritability.
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Baseline; end of Module 1, approximately Weeks 6 to 9; end of Module 2, approximately Weeks 10 to 15; end of Module 3/treatment completion, approximately Weeks 16 to 23; 1 month after treatment completion; and 3 months after treatment completion.
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Medidas de resultado secundarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
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Change in Irritability Measured by the Affective Reactivity Index
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline; end of treatment, approximately Weeks 16 to 23; 1 month after treatment completion; and 3 months after treatment completion.
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Irritability was assessed using the Affective Reactivity Index.
Parent-report and child-report versions were administered.
Items are rated on a 3-point Likert scale, and summary scores were calculated as the mean of completed items.
Higher scores indicate greater irritability.
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Baseline; end of treatment, approximately Weeks 16 to 23; 1 month after treatment completion; and 3 months after treatment completion.
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Change in Suicidal Ideation Severity Measured by the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline; end of Module 1, approximately Weeks 6 to 9; end of Module 2, approximately Weeks 10 to 15; end of Module 3/treatment completion, approximately Weeks 16 to 23; 1 month after treatment completion; and 3 months after treatment completion.
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Suicidal ideation severity was assessed for the relevant C-SSRS reference period at each assessment.
The primary suicidal ideation analysis used baseline, end of treatment, 1-month follow-up, and 3-month follow-up assessments.
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Baseline; end of Module 1, approximately Weeks 6 to 9; end of Module 2, approximately Weeks 10 to 15; end of Module 3/treatment completion, approximately Weeks 16 to 23; 1 month after treatment completion; and 3 months after treatment completion.
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Occurrence of Suicidal Behavior Measured by the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline; end of Module 1, approximately Weeks 6 to 9; end of Module 2, approximately Weeks 10 to 15; end of Module 3/treatment completion, approximately Weeks 16 to 23; 1 month after treatment completion; and 3 months after treatment completion.
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Suicidal behavior was assessed using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale.
Suicidal behavior was coded as present if a suicide attempt, interrupted attempt, or aborted attempt was reported by either the parent or the child during the assessment period.
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Baseline; end of Module 1, approximately Weeks 6 to 9; end of Module 2, approximately Weeks 10 to 15; end of Module 3/treatment completion, approximately Weeks 16 to 23; 1 month after treatment completion; and 3 months after treatment completion.
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Colaboradores e Investigadores
Aquí es donde encontrará personas y organizaciones involucradas en este estudio.
Patrocinador
Colaboradores
Investigadores
- Investigador principal: Tomer Levy, MD, Geha Mental Health Center
Publicaciones y enlaces útiles
La persona responsable de ingresar información sobre el estudio proporciona voluntariamente estas publicaciones. Estos pueden ser sobre cualquier cosa relacionada con el estudio.
Publicaciones Generales
- Posner K, Brown GK, Stanley B, Brent DA, Yershova KV, Oquendo MA, Currier GW, Melvin GA, Greenhill L, Shen S, Mann JJ. The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale: initial validity and internal consistency findings from three multisite studies with adolescents and adults. Am J Psychiatry. 2011 Dec;168(12):1266-77. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.10111704.
- Stringaris A, Goodman R, Ferdinando S, Razdan V, Muhrer E, Leibenluft E, Brotman MA. The Affective Reactivity Index: a concise irritability scale for clinical and research settings. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2012 Nov;53(11):1109-17. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02561.x. Epub 2012 May 10.
- Leibenluft E, Allen LE, Althoff RR, Brotman MA, Burke JD, Carlson GA, Dickstein DP, Dougherty LR, Evans SC, Kircanski K, Klein DN, Malone EP, Mazefsky CA, Nigg J, Perlman SB, Pine DS, Roy AK, Salum GA, Shakeshaft A, Silver J, Stoddard J, Thapar A, Tseng WL, Vidal-Ribas P, Wakschlag LS, Stringaris A. Irritability in Youths: A Critical Integrative Review. Am J Psychiatry. 2024 Apr 1;181(4):275-290. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230256. Epub 2024 Feb 29.
- Sukhodolsky DG, Scahill L. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anger and aggression in children. Guilford Press; 2012.
- Sukhodolsky DG, Golub A, Stone EC, Orban L. Dismantling anger control training for children: A randomized pilot study of social problem-solving versus social skills training components. Behavior Therapy. 2005;36(1):15-23. doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(05)80050-4
- Sukhodolsky DG, Kassinove H, Gorman BS. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anger in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 2004;9(3):247-269. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2003.08.005
- Benarous X, Consoli A, Cohen D, Renaud J, Lahaye H, Guile JM. Suicidal behaviors and irritability in children and adolescents: a systematic review of the nature and mechanisms of the association. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2019 May;28(5):667-683. doi: 10.1007/s00787-018-1234-9. Epub 2018 Oct 6.
- Dissanayake AS, Dupuis A, Arnold PD, Burton CL, Crosbie J, Schachar RJ, Levy T. Is irritability multidimensional: Psychometrics of The Irritability and Dysregulation of Emotion Scale (TIDES-13). Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024 Aug;33(8):2767-2780. doi: 10.1007/s00787-023-02350-1. Epub 2024 Jan 16.
Fechas de registro del estudio
Estas fechas rastrean el progreso del registro del estudio y los envíos de resultados resumidos a ClinicalTrials.gov. Los registros del estudio y los resultados informados son revisados por la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM) para asegurarse de que cumplan con los estándares de control de calidad específicos antes de publicarlos en el sitio web público.
Fechas importantes del estudio
Inicio del estudio (Actual)
22 de octubre de 2021
Finalización primaria (Actual)
4 de agosto de 2024
Finalización del estudio (Actual)
10 de febrero de 2025
Fechas de registro del estudio
Enviado por primera vez
11 de mayo de 2026
Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
17 de mayo de 2026
Publicado por primera vez (Actual)
22 de mayo de 2026
Actualizaciones de registros de estudio
Última actualización publicada (Actual)
22 de mayo de 2026
Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
17 de mayo de 2026
Última verificación
1 de mayo de 2026
Más información
Términos relacionados con este estudio
Palabras clave
Términos MeSH relevantes adicionales
Otros números de identificación del estudio
- FDAAA 801
Plan de datos de participantes individuales (IPD)
¿Planea compartir datos de participantes individuales (IPD)?
SÍ
Descripción del plan IPD
De-identified individual participant data that underlie the published results may be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author, subject to approval by the study investigators and applicable institutional and ethics requirements.
Data will not be publicly posted because the dataset includes sensitive pediatric mental health and suicidality information.
Marco de tiempo para compartir IPD
Beginning 6 months after publication and available for 5 years.
Criterios de acceso compartido de IPD
De-identified individual participant data underlying the published results and analytic code may be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.
Requests should include a methodologically sound proposal and will be reviewed by the study investigators.
Data sharing will be subject to applicable institutional approval, ethics requirements, and a data use agreement.
Data will not be publicly posted because they include sensitive pediatric mental health and suicidality information.
Tipo de información de apoyo para compartir IPD
- CÓDIGO_ANALÍTICO
Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio
Estudia un producto farmacéutico regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.
No
Estudia un producto de dispositivo regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.
No
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