Effects of Group-based Family Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy on Children and Teens with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the effects of Group-based Family Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy GF-CBT in children and youth diagnosed with moderate to severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder OCD. This condition often begins in childhood and is under-diagnosed, with access to effective treatments like CBT and medications being challenging. The study compares clinical and neural outcomes between youth receiving GF-CBT and those on a waitlist without new treatment. Participants in the treatment group attend 12 GF-CBT group therapy sessions involving both the child and their family members. The control group consists of waitlist participants who do not receive new treatment during the study period. The study measures changes in OCD severity and functioning before and after the 12 sessions. Participants will be assessed at multiple time points the treatment group at baseline, midpoint, after completing 12 sessions, and one month after treatment ends the waitlist group at baseline and after a similar time delay. The primary outcome is measured by the Childrens Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale CY-BOCS, which evaluates OCD severity. The study also tracks individual and family functioning changes, with all assessments conducted in English and involving caregiver consent.

Clinical Outcomes in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder