An overview of controlled studies of anxiety disorders treatment in children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

Although several treatments for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders are available, there are few well-controlled studies in the literature that compare these treatments for efficacy. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of controlled treatment studies for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders.

METHOD: The research literature on controlled treatment studies of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents was systematically reviewed through a search of PsycINFO and Medline. Studies that did not compare the efficacy of treatment modalities were excluded.

RESULTS

This review focuses specifically on three main treatment modalities: cognitive-behavioral therapy, both individual and group; family-based interventions; and pharmacotherapy. Each of these modalities is reviewed in the context of the separate disorders as defined by DSM-III-R and/or DSM-IV. The results are especially promising for cognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy for many of the anxiety disorders; however, there are concerns about small sample sizes, lack of described comorbidity within the groups and generalizability.

CONCLUSION

While great strides have been made in the treatment of child and adolescent anxiety disorders, empirically based studies are quantitatively limited. More research is needed involving head-to-head trials of the different modalities.