Are Changes in Children's Communication Patterns Predictive of Treatment Outcomes for Children with Anxiety?

This study investigated children's communication patterns in child-therapist conversations and whether changes in these patterns, from less rigid to more flexible, were associated with better treatment outcomes. Fifty-three children (31% boys), with a mean age in years of M = 9.68 (SD = 1.85), completed a 12-week CBT program. Maternal as well as children's reports of children's anxiety were assessed pre- and posttreatment. Additionally, 15-minutes segments of two therapy sessions were audiotaped and children's conversational turns were coded for properties of response and initiative. The structure of children's communication patterns was further quantified using recurrence quantification analysis. As expected children entering treatment were characterized by rigid and inhibited conversational behavior. Children who became less repetitive and deterministic over time had better maternal-rated treatment outcomes. These findings did not generalize to child reports. Last, the hypothesis that the positive relation between the breaking of rigid communication patterns and treatment outcome would be mediated by increases in proactive conversational behaviors of the child was only partly supported. These study findings contribute to the emergent literature on processes of change in childhood anxiety treatment by providing initial support for the hypothesis that breaking rigid (communication) patterns may be a prerequisite of clinical change. PMID: 31140662 [PubMed - as supplied...
Source: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Clin Psychol Psychother Source Type: research