Prevention of internalizing difficulties in the middle years: Protocol for a noninferiority randomized trial of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Early intervention in psychiatry July 1, 2024 Amanda Taylor, Kathleen Wright, Rachel M Roberts et al. 4 citations
A trial protocol compares Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children (MBCT-C) with traditional Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), both including a parent module, as targeted preventive programs for internalizing difficulties in children aged 9–12 from socio-economically disadvantaged primary schools in South Australia. The two-armed randomized controlled non-inferiority trial will enroll 194 children showing signs of shyness, withdrawal, or worry, along with their parents. Child self-report measures include depression, anxiety, attention, mindfulness, and self-compassion; parent measures include depression, anxiety, mindfulness, and parent-child relationship strength. The primary outcome is child anxiety and depression measured at pre- and post-intervention and at 3, 6, 12, and 15 months. The trial aims to determine longer-term effectiveness and the feasibility of adding a parent module.