Multiple behavioral techniques in severe separation anxiety of a twelve-year-old

A Scoping Review of Constructs Measured Following Intervention for School Refusal: Are We Measuring Up?

Reviews of the effectiveness of interventions for school refusal (SR) rely upon well-conducted primary studies. Currently there are no guidelines for those conducting primary studies about the measurement of outcome following intervention for SR. Most people would agree that it is important to measure school attendance as an outcome but there has been little discussion about other constructs that warrant measurement. To facilitate this discussion and support the development of guidelines, we conducted a scoping review of constructs measured in studies evaluating intervention for SR. We screened the title and abstract of 3,213 publications found in peer-reviewed journals between 1980 and 2019. After full text review of 271 publications, 50 publications describing 51 studies were included. Results address the frequency with which constructs were measured, along with instruments used, informants, and time-points for measurement. Based on the results, we offer guidelines for choosing constructs to measure following intervention for SR and considerations for how to measure the constructs. Guidelines can increase consistency across primary studies, with benefits for future meta-analyses and international comparisons. They also provide support for practitioners contemplating routine evaluation of their interventions for SR. Ultimately, a core outcome set for SR can be developed.

Assessment and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children

Childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder was believed to be very rare and, until quite recently, little effort was directed toward assessment or treatment. Today, typical assessment procedures include clinical and structured interviews, self-report and therapist or staff completed inventories, self-monitoring, and direct observation. No single method has demonstrated superiority, and each has had limitations. Multiple measures are therefore recommended. The treatment literature is composed largely of uncontrolled case studies presenting combinations of three or more treatments. Although all treatment-outcome reports illustrate positive effects, no one method has been superior treating either a single facet of the disorder or the disorder in its entirety.

Behavioral treatment of childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder

Although long recognized in the clinical literature, obsessive-compulsive disorder in children has not received the attention given to the disorder in adults. There have been few reports of behavioral treatments with children, and the existing literature is composed largely of case studies employing one or more behavioral techniques as part of a treatment package. Most reports demonstrate a positive effect, but no treatment has demonstrated superiority, and the general outcome effect is much less than optimistic. The role of etiology, of epidemiology, of families in treatment, and of associated conditions are reviewed, and considerations for future investigations are offered.