Effectiveness of online group cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a pilot study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of online group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based on the CAMALEO TOC manual in the treatment of adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a single-group pretest-posttest intervention. Over a 12-week period, 11 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years with OCD participated in weekly online group CBT sessions based on the CAMALEO TOC manual. We used several assessment tools, including the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale to assess the severity of OCD symptoms, the Family Accommodation Scale for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder-Interviewer-Rated to measure family accommodation, the Children’s Depression Inventory to assess depression symptoms, the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale to assess anxiety, and the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale to measure satisfaction with life. Results: OCD symptoms decreased significantly (d = -1.55) after online group CBT, and a strong effect size (d = -1.03) was found for family accommodation. After controlling for variables (e.g., engagement in psychotherapeutic treatment, medication use, or psychiatric comorbidities), no significant differences were found for OCD symptoms and family accommodation scores. In addition, there was insufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of online group CBT in reducing symptoms of depression or anxiety or improving overall quality of life. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the feasibility of short-term online group CBT as an effective therapeutic approach for adolescents with OCD.

Keywords

• Youth
• treatment response
• family involvement
• family accommodation
• group cognitive-behavioral therapy