Abstract/Summary

Background—Half of lifetime anxiety disorders emerge before 12 years of age, however access to evidence-based psychological therapies for affected children is poor. This Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) compared the clinical outcome and cost-effectiveness of two brief psychological treatments for anxious children referred to routine child mental health settings. Methods—Children (5-12 years) referred to Primary Child and Mental Health Services across Oxfordshire, UK, for anxiety difficulties were randomly allocated (1:1) to brief Guided Parent-Delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy (GPD-CBT) or Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). The primary outcome was Clinical Global Impressions of Improvement (CGI-I). Secondary outcomes were absence of primary anxiety diagnosis and all anxiety disorder diagnoses, self- and parent-reported anxiety symptoms and interference. Parents recorded patient level resource use. Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) were derived from the CHU9D. Assessments were conducted pre-, post- (primary endpoint), and 6- months after treatment. Findings—136 patients were assigned to GPD-CBT (n=68) or SFBT (n=68). Analyses were conducted with the intent to treat population. No significant differences were observed on any clinical (CGI-I; Relative Risk (RR) = 1·01 (0·86, 1·19), p = 0·95) or economic (QALY mean difference = 0·006 (-0·009- 0·02), p = 0·42) outcome measure. However, the GPD-CBT treatment was associated with lower costs (mean difference: -£448; 95% CI: -£934, £37; p=0.070). Interpretation— There was no evidence of clinical superiority, however brief GPD-CBT is likely to be a cost-effective alternative to brief psychological treatment (SFBT) and could be considered as a first-line treatment for children with anxiety problems.