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Group Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomised Controlled Trial in a General Child Psychiatric Hospital Setting

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Abstract

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) programs adapted to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) effectively reduce anxiety when run in university clinics. Forty-nine children aged 8–14 years participated in a waitlist controlled study in a general child psychiatric hospital setting. Post-treatment 30% of the children were free of their primary anxiety diagnoses and 5% were free of all anxiety diagnoses. No statistically significant difference between the two trial conditions were found on primary outcomes. However, statistically significant differences were found on secondary outcomes indicating clinically meaningful treatment responses. Together with high program satisfaction this study shows the CBT program to be feasible and potentially efficacious in treating anxiety in children with ASD in a general child psychiatric hospital setting.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the TRYG Foundation (Grant 112476) for funding this study and all the families for participating.

Funding

This work was supported by the TRYG Foundation under Grant 112476.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Palle Juul Jensens Boulevard 175, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark

    Tina R. Kilburn, Charlotte U. Rask, Anders H. Carlsen & Per H. Thomsen

  2. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric Clinic for School Aged Children, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark

    Merete J. Sørensen & Charlotte U. Rask

  3. Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Charlotte U. Rask & Per H. Thomsen

  4. Department of Psychology and Behavioural Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Mikael Thastum & Kristian B. Arendt

  5. Department of Psychology, Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

    Ronald M. Rapee

Authors
  1. Tina R. Kilburn
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  2. Merete J. Sørensen
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  3. Mikael Thastum
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  4. Ronald M. Rapee
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  6. Kristian B. Arendt
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  7. Anders H. Carlsen
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  8. Per H. Thomsen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tina R. Kilburn.

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Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. Ron M Rapee and Tina R. Kilburn are co-authors of the treatment program—no royalties and Non-remunerative. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Ethical Approval

The study involved human participants and is registered and approved by: Clinicaltrials.gov, ID.nr: NCT02908321. The Regional Ethical Committee: ID.nr:1-10-72-46-15. Danish Data Protection Agency ID.nr:1-16-02-263-15.

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All parents gave informed consent to participate in the study and to the use of their data.

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Kilburn, T.R., Sørensen, M.J., Thastum, M. et al. Group Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomised Controlled Trial in a General Child Psychiatric Hospital Setting. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 525–538 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04471-x

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