Research Design & Number of Studies
The best evidence for Coping Cat in children aged 6-12 years comes from four Randomised Controlled Trials (RCT) conducted in collaboration with programme developers. One RCT was conducted in Norway, and included 165 majority Caucasian youth (98.8%), aged 7-13 years (Villabo et al, 2018); another RCT was conducted in USA, and included 133 youth from different ethnic groups (majority Caucasian, 89%), aged 9-14 years (Silk et al, 2016); a similar RCT was conducted in USA, and included 161 youth from different ethnic groups (majority Caucasian 85%), aged 7-14 (Kendall et al, 2008); the largest RCT was conducted across 6 sites in the USA, and included 488 youth from different ethnic groups (majority Caucasian 78.9%), aged 7-17 years (Walkup et al, 2008). Participants included in all RCTs met diagnostic criteria for separation anxiety disorder (SAD), social anxiety disorder (SOC), and/or generalized anxiety disorder. Separate data for children aged 7-12 years was not reported.
Outcomes Achieved
Compared to comparison conditions the following outcomes were observed:
Child Outcomes
- Significantly reduced principal/ primary anxiety diagnosis at post-test (Villabo et al, 2018; Kendall et al, 2008), and significantly reduced all anxiety diagnosis at post-test (Villabo et al, 2018)
- Significantly reduced anxiety severity at post-test (Walkup et al, 2008; Kendall et al, 2008), and at 1-year follow-up (Silk et al, 2016)
- Significantly higher recovery from anxiety at 1-year follow-up (Silk et al, 2016)
- Significantly reduced internalising symptoms and anxiety symptoms at 1-year follow-up (Kendall et al, 2008)
Parent Outcomes
None
Key References
Villabø, M., Narayanan, M., Compton, S., Kendall, P. C., & Neumer, S. (2018). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth anxiety: An effectiveness evaluation in community practice. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 86(9), 751-764.
Silk, J. S., Tan, P. Z., Ladouceur, C. D., Meller, S., Siegle, G. J., McMakin, D. L., ... Ryan, N. D. (2016). A randomized clinical trial comparing individual cognitive behavioral therapy and child-centered therapy for child anxiety disorders. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/15374416.2016.1138408
Walkup, J. T., Albano, A. M., Piacentini, J., Birmaher, B., Compton, S. N., Sherrill, J. T., ... & Kendall, P. C. (2008). Cognitive behavioral therapy, sertraline, or a combination in childhood anxiety. The New England Journal of Medicine, 359(26), 2753-2766.
Kendall, P. C., Hudson, J. L., Gosch, E., Flannery-Schroeder, E., & Suveg, C. (2008). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disordered youth: A randomized clinical trial evaluating child and family modalities. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(2), 282-297