Comparison of Efficacy of Child Cognitive – Behavioral Therapy (CCBT) Versus Family Cognitive – Behavioral Therapy (FCBT) and Mother - Child Attachment Intervention in Reduction of Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children between 7-12 Years Old

Sahel  Gerami; Parvaneh Ghodsi; Parvaneh  Mohammadkhani; Sadegh  Taghiloo

doi:10.61838/kman.jarac.5.3.10

Authors

Sahel Gerami PhD student in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Parvaneh Ghodsi * Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran elham_ghodsi@yahoo.com

Parvaneh Mohammadkhani Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Sadegh Taghiloo Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Astara Branch, Islamic Azad University, Gilan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.jarac.5.3.10

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of child-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CCBT), family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (FCBT) and mother-child attachment intervention in reducing separation anxiety in children aged 7 to 12 years.

Methods and Materials: The method of this semi-experimental study was pre-test-post-test with a control group and a three-month follow-up. For this purpose, 48 children with separation anxiety disorder were selected by purposive sampling and were divided into four groups of 12 people. The first group received child-based cognitive behavioral therapy, the second group received family-based cognitive behavioral therapy, the third group received mother-child attachment intervention, and the control group did not receive any intervention. The measurement tools of this research include the semi-structured diagnostic interview of mood disorders and schizophrenia for children and adolescents (K-SADS-PL) and Separation Anxiety Scale (Parental Form). The data were analyzed using mixed variance analysis with repeated measurement and Bonferroni's post hoc test.

Findings: The findings show that child-centered cognitive-behavioral therapy has been more successful in reducing separation anxiety compared to family-centered cognitive-behavioral therapy and mother-child attachment-centered intervention. Also, family-centered cognitive-behavioral therapy has been more effective in reducing children's separation anxiety compared to mother-child attachment-centered intervention (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The results of the present study show that the therapeutic methods used can be effective in the treatment of separation anxiety disorder by psychologists and psychiatrists.