Cognitive Bias Modification for Youth Anxiety

Status unconfirmed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Anxiety

In brief

Research in the last fifteen years suggests that anxious individuals selectively attend towards threatening information. Attention modification interventions for internalizing adults have been developed to target cognition at this basic level; these programs have demonstrated initial efficacy in attention bias and anxiety symptom reduction. To date, there have been minimal published studies of attention modification in youths with clinical levels of anxiety. This study is a large randomized efficacy-effectiveness trial (N = 498) to test the benefit of this low-cost, computerized attention modification intervention (Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) computer application) for anxiety disorders and symptomatology in youth ages 12 to 17. This trial conducted will compare three intervention arms, all of which include underlying treatment as usual (TAU). The investigators directly test the level of clinical support ("scaffolding") needed to adequately deliver self-administered CBM to anxious youth, a finding that will be key to preparing for future deployment-focused trials. The investigators will compare an attention control version of the CBM program (Arm 1) to two active versions of the CBM intervention that have varying levels of patient clinical support: a self-administered CBM program that participants download and install on their home computers (Self-Administered CBM-only; Arm 2), and the same CBM program paired with an adherence promotion (AP) component delivered via brief telephone calls from study "coaches," including as needed, brief motivational enhancement and/or technical assistance (Self-Administered CBM+AP; Arm 3). The investigators expect that youth receiving CBM and CBM+AP will have improvement in anxiety symptoms and functioning. The investigators will also complete a cost-effectiveness analysis to examine potential costs offset by this intervention.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02156531

Run by

Kaiser Permanente

People needed

488

Starts

2014-09-01

Expected to finish

2019-11-01

Last updated by the study team

2019-08-19

Who can join

Age: 12 and older, up to 17. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Youth age between 12.0 and 17.9 years old
• Youth, parent able to complete assessments in English
• Youth performing at 7th-12th grade achievement level
• Youth vision sufficient to read book of typical size print
• Youth access to home computer, Internet for 3 months
• Assessment of Childhood Disorders (ADIS)-confirmed diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and/or social phobia (SOP) and/or separation anxiety disorder (SAD)

You may not qualify if…

• Youth diagnosis of learning or processing problem
• Youth diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), except if symptoms are stable and controlled by medication for > 1 mo.
• Youth diagnosis of psychotic disorder
• Youth primary complaint of condition other than anxiety (as determined by the research interviewer during the baseline survey)
• psychotic features or delayed inform/visual processing

Where it is running

• Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research — Portland, Oregon, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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