Effectiveness of School-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (Cool Kids) on Attentional Control and Attention bias

Abstract
Background and Aim: The aim of present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based cognitive-behavioral therapy on increasing attentional control and reducing attention bias towards threat in anxious children.
Materials and Methods: The present study was a Single-subject study with Multiple Baseline. The statistical sample of this study included all children aged 9 to 13 referred to the health centers of Qom city and according to the research literature in the field of single subject designs, 3 subjects were considered for the implementation of the treatment protocol. Data was collected using the Kiddie schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia- Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), Attentional Control Scale for Children and Dot Probe Task. The treatment protocol included 8 weekly individual sessions with children and 2 sessions with parents too. Data was analyzed using visual analysis, percentage of improvement and effect size (Cohen's d).
Results: The findings show that all two subjects had an increasing trend in attentional control and all three subjects had a decreasing trend in attention bias, so that the school-based cognitive-behavioral therapy with the effect size (d=0/18) had small effect in increasing children's attentional control, but was effective in reducing attention bias with effect size (d= 2/93).
Conclusion: Based on the results of this research, school-based cognitive-behavioral therapy can be an effective Therapy in reducing attention bias towards threat in children with anxiety disorders, despite the fact that it has a small effect in increasing attentional control.