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Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS): rationale, design, and methods.
Scott N Compton1, John T Walkup2, Anne Marie Albano3
1Duke University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, DUMC Box 3527, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
|January 7, 2010
Summary
The Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS) evaluated cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), sertraline (SRT), and their combination against placebo for pediatric anxiety disorders. Results will inform treatment decisions for youth anxiety.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Pediatric anxiety disorders are common and impairing.
- Evidence-based treatments are needed for separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social phobia in youth.
- The Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS) was a federally funded trial to address this need.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the design, methods, and rationale of the CAMS trial.
- To examine the relative efficacy of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), sertraline (SRT), and their combination (COMB) compared to placebo (PBO).
- To evaluate treatments for separation anxiety disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and social phobia (SoP) in children and adolescents.
Main Methods:
- A six-year, multi-site, randomized placebo-controlled trial involving 488 children and adolescents (ages 7-17).
- Participants were assigned to CBT, SRT, COMB, or PBO.
- Assessments included anxiety symptoms, safety, functional outcomes, and treatment moderators/mediators, ensuring fidelity through manual-based therapies and independent evaluators.
Main Results:
- The CAMS trial enrolled 488 youth aged 7-17 with SAD, GAD, or SoP.
- Treatments evaluated included cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), sertraline (SRT), combination therapy (COMB), and placebo (PBO).
- Comprehensive assessments of efficacy, safety, and functional outcomes were conducted.
Conclusions:
- The CAMS trial provides a model for rigorous multi-site clinical trials in pediatric anxiety.
- It examined the efficacy and safety of evidence-based psychosocial and pharmacologic treatments for common pediatric anxiety disorders.
- Findings will inform clinical practice regarding initial treatment choices for youth with anxiety disorders.
