hide
Free keywords:
specific phobia, ADHD symptoms, treatment outcomes, children, hierarchical linear growth model
Abstract:
Objectives: The objectives were twofold: (a) examine long-term treatment
effects in youth receiving 1-session treatment (OST) or educational
support (EST) for a specific phobia (SP) and (b) examine the
differential predictive and moderation effects of
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms on immediate
and long-term outcomes following the interventions. Method: Eighty-three
children (ages 6-15, 47% female, 89% White) with a SP were randomly
assigned to receive OST or EST. Follow up assessments occurred at 1
week, 6 months, 1 year, and 4 years. Hierarchical linear growth modeling
(HLGM) was used to explore the association of parent-reported ADHD
symptoms, the 2 treatment conditions (i.e., OST vs. EST), and the
trajectory of change in the severity of the SP from pretreatment to the
4-year follow-up. Age, conduct problems and learning problems were
controlled for in all analyses. Results: A greater immediate reduction
in severity rating of the SP was observed in the OST compared to EST,
whereas the trajectory of long-term outcomes was similar across
conditions over time. Higher levels of ADHD symptoms predicted poor
immediate and long-term treatment outcomes across treatment conditions.
ADHD symptoms, however, did not moderate the relationship between
treatment condition and immediate or long-term treatment outcomes.
Conclusions: The results of the study need to be interpreted in light of
several study limitations. However, if confirmed, the findings suggest
that anxious youth with comorbid ADHD symptoms are less likely to
benefit from brief, intensive psychotherapy and may require either
longer, standard CBT treatment or adjunctive pharmacotherapy.
