Effectiveness of School-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (Cool Kids) in Children with Anxiety Disorders: Clinical and Metacognitive Outcomes

Abstract

Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based cognitive-behavioral therapy on reducing metacognitive beliefs and clinical symptoms 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), Metacognitions Questionnaire in Children (MCQ-C), Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and The Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-C). 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 three subjects had a decreasing trend in all three variables, so that the school-based cognitive-behavioral therapy with the effect size (d=3/73) was an effective treatment in reducing children's metacognitive beliefs. As well as, this treatment was effective in reducing worry with effect size (d=4/17) and children's anxiety symptoms with effect size (d=3/73).

Conclusion: Based on the results of this research, school-based cognitive-behavioral therapy can be an effective therapy in reducing metacognitive beliefs and anxiety symptoms in anxious children