Child social and emotion functioning as predictors of therapeutic alliance in cognitive–behavioral therapy for anxiety

Abstract

Objective This study examined baseline child social and emotional functioning as predictors of therapeutic alliance during a cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) program for children with anxiety disorders. It was hypothesized that better social and emotional functioning at baseline would be related to stronger alliance initially and over the course of treatment. Method Ninety‐two anxious youth, ages 7–11 years (M age = 8.93 years, SD = 1.64; 42% female) participated. Children, caregivers, and teachers completed measures of child social and emotional functioning. Therapeutic alliance was measured using therapist‐rated and observer‐coded reports. Results Receiving prosocial support from peers and emotion regulation (ER) were both related to initial rating and slope of alliance. Conclusions Child social and emotional functioning enhances our understanding of how the alliance is formed and in identifying children who might be at risk for difficulties in developing a strong therapeutic relationship.

Therapeutic Alliance in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Child and Adolescent Mental Health-Current Trends and Future Challenges

“… Albaum et al (2020) did not explicitly state the site of recruitment but stated that the study subjects were part of a larger RCT. Other studies recruited subjects that were referred by school personnel through the invitation to schools and the public ( Whitehead et al, 2019 ) or by referrals from schools ( Labouliere et al, 2017 ). In one study, families were provided with a $15 moratorium to participate in the pre- and post-treatment assessments ( Klebanoff et al, 2019 ).…”

“…The occurrence of comorbid mental health issues ranged from about 60% ( Marker et al, 2013 ), 90% ( Zandberg et al, 2015 ), and 92% ( Whitehead et al, 2019 ) of the participants.…”

“… Whitehead et al (2019) , sought to evaluate if Therapeutic Alliance was predicted by the pre-treatment social and emotional behaviours of a child.…”

“…Studies were conducted in the context of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism, binge eating disorder (BED), Depressive disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Trauma, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The occurrence of comorbid mental health issues ranged from about 60% (Marker et al, 2013), 90% (Zandberg et al, 2015), and 92% (Whitehead et al, 2019) of the participants.…”

“…McLeod et al, also evaluated the score and observer validity of the various alliance scales used to measure Therapeutic Alliance (McLeod et al, 2017). Whitehead et al (2019), sought to evaluate if Therapeutic Alliance was predicted by the pre-treatment social and emotional behaviours of a child.…”