A Controlled Trial of Daily Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Completed · Phase 3

Conditions studied: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

In brief

Pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and often disabling illness with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 1 to 3%. Pediatric OCD is associated with significant social, educational, and familial impairment, as well as comorbid emotional and behavioral disturbances that serve to complicate the prognosis of the illness and treatment outcome. While limited open treatment trials and one controlled trial have demonstrated cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to be effective for pediatric OCD, controlled trials are lacking in the literature. There are a number of incremental benefits that an intensive program for OCD may offer. First, existing outpatient interventions typically achieve treatment gains over a 15 to 20 week period. The present program typically lasts between 2 to 4 weeks, and thus may present as a more timely, cost-effective, and efficient means of treatment for some individuals. Second, given that many children and adolescents may not have access to mental health professionals who are trained in empirically grounded interventions for OCD, the present treatment setting allows youth to receive appropriate, state of the art care. Finally, evidence suggests that daily CBT may be particularly effective in treating children who have been refractory to prior treatments (e.g., medication or once per week CBT). Prior to treatment, all consenting families will be randomly assigned to either the treatment condition or a three-week wait-list control condition. Those families randomized to the wait-list condition will receive treatment immediately after the three weeks are completed. The treatment group will be administered all measures immediately before treatment, immediately after treatment, and three months after treatment. The wait-list control condition will be administered all measures upon starting the wait-list period, immediately following the conclusion of the three-week wait-list period, and after the treatment program has finished. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the efficacy of daily cognitive-behavioral treatment for pediatric OCD.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00369642

Run by

University of South Florida

People needed

60

Starts

2004-10-01

Expected to finish

2006-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2010-08-09

Who can join

Age: 7 and older, up to 17. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• CY-BOCS Total Score ≥ 16;
• no change in psychotropic medication (if applicable) for at least 8 weeks prior to study entry;
• 7 to 17 years old; and
• availability of at least one parent to accompany the child to all treatment sessions.

You may not qualify if…

• history of and/or current psychosis, pervasive developmental disorder, bipolar disorder, or current suicidality measured by the ADIS-IV-P and all available clinical information;
• principal diagnosis other than OCD;
• a positive diagnosis in the caregiver of mental retardation, psychosis, or other psychiatric disorders or conditions that would limit their ability to understand CBT (based on clinical interview). Participants were not excluded due to comorbid psychiatric diagnoses.

Where it is running

• University of Florida — Gainesville, Florida, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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