Psychiatr Hung. 2025;40(2):5-18.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Anxiety disorders are often diagnosed in adolescents (7%) and children (6.5%), yet most of them do not receive adequate psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a proven effective first-line treatment for anxiety disorders. Our aim was to develop an eight-session group CBT intervention adapted for adolescent population with anxiety symptoms, focusing on reducing cognitive distortions and avoidance behaviours and associated physical symptoms.
METHODS: The participants (N= 51, age group: 15-20 ys.) were diagnosed with anxiety and comorbid mood disorders. Groups of 8-12 patients were formed to apply group CBT. To assess the effectiveness of CBT, the following questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention: BDI, STAI-S, RSES-H, BHS, CERQ, FNE-8, Non-productive Thought Q. (NPTQ-C). Paired-sample and independent sample t-test were used for statistical analysis of the results.
RESULTS: Anxiety (t(50)=3.82; p<0.001), depressive symptoms (t(49)=4.09; p<0.001) and fear of negative appraisal (t(50)=3.15; p=0.001) were significantly decreased after therapy. In addition, there were reductions in unproductive thoughts (t(49)=3.47; p<0.001), hopelessness (t(50)=1.69; p=0.049), while self-esteem increased (t(49)=-1.76; p=0.042). Baseline levels of depressive symptoms differed significantly between anxiety-only and comorbid groups (t(48)=-2.016; p=0.049), while not between final scores.
CONCLUSION: In our country, we were the first to examine brief, group CBT to reduce anxiety disorders in adolescents. We found that group CBT reduced patients’ anxiety, depression, self-esteem and hopelessness, and the presence of comorbid disorders did not reduce the effectiveness of the intervention. These findings support the method’s broader application in Hungary.
PMID:41456162
