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Signal Attenuation as a Rat Model of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Published on: January 9, 2015
Online CBT Versus Standard CBT for Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Bernhard Weidle1,2, Lucía Babiano-Espinosa3, Norbert Skokauskas3,4
1Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Klostergata 46, Trondheim, 7030, Norway. b-weidle@online.no.
Online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a feasible and acceptable treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This approach demonstrated higher response and remission rates compared to traditional face-to-face CBT.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Mental Health Technology
- Behavioral Therapy
Background:
- Pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 1-3% of children, causing significant impairment.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the primary treatment, but face-to-face delivery has accessibility issues.
- Online CBT (online-CBT) using video conferencing offers a potential solution to improve access.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of online-CBT versus traditional face-to-face CBT for pediatric OCD.
- To assess if a therapeutic relationship can be established via online-CBT for exposure-based treatment.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study analyzed outcomes for 29 children receiving online-CBT.
- Results were benchmarked against 269 children from the Nordic Long-term OCD Treatment Study (NordLOTS) receiving face-to-face CBT.
- Acceptability was measured by participant/parent satisfaction; feasibility by dropout rates.
Main Results:
- Online-CBT showed very high acceptability (satisfaction scores ~30/32).
- Feasibility was comparable to NordLOTS, with similar dropout rates (10.3% vs. 9.7%).
- The online-CBT group had significantly higher response rates (90% vs. 60%; p=.002) and a trend towards higher remission rates (81% vs. 53%).
Conclusions:
- Online-CBT is an acceptable and feasible treatment for pediatric OCD.
- Online-CBT appears to be at least as effective as standard CBT in reducing symptoms.
- Therapeutic relationships crucial for exposure therapy can be formed through online-CBT.
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