Integrating illness concerns into cognitive behavioral therapy for children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease and co-occurring anxiety
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Laura C Reigada1, Keith J Benkov, Jean-Marie Bruzzese
1Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA. Lreigada@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Purpose:
To examine the feasibility and preliminary benefits of an integrative cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease and anxiety.
Design And Methods:
Nine adolescents participated in a CBT program at their gastroenterologist's office. Structured diagnostic interviews, self-report measures of anxiety and pain, and physician-rated disease severity were collected pretreatment and post-treatment.
Results:
Postintervention, 88% of adolescents were treatment responders, and 50% no longer met criteria for their principal anxiety disorder. Decreases were demonstrated in anxiety, pain, and disease severity.
Practice Implications:
Anxiety screening and a mental health referral to professionals familiar with medical management issues is important.
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