Equine Facilitated CBT Group Therapy for Youth Anxiety

Anxiety Clinical Trial

Official title:

Equine Facilitated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Group Therapy for Youth Anxiety

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Terminated

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03838835
• Other study ID #: 18-01424
• Status: Terminated
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: November 15, 2018
• Est. completion date: May 26, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: September 2020
• Source: NYU Langone Health
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a 10-week equine facilitated cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) group program for youth between ages of 6 to 17 with symptoms of anxiety. The program will be delivered at GallopNYC, a stable that provides equine-facilitated group therapy to youth with a range of mental health problems.

Description:

The equine-facilitated group therapy normally provided at GallopNYC (Treatment as Usual, TAU) will be compared to an augmented group program that will include CBT strategies, including psychoeducation to the child and caregiver about anxiety, coping strategies to use when anxious, and identifying and addressing dysfunctional thoughts that maintain anxiety. Seventy-five children between 6 to 17 years of age will be randomized to TAU (equine-facilitated group therapy), the augmented group therapy that contains CBT strategies, or wait list control. Outcomes include anxiety symptoms, self-efficacy,receipt of services, functioning and the child's relationship with the horse.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Terminated
• Enrollment: 59
• Est. completion date: May 26, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: May 26, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 6 Years to 17 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• A child aged 6-17 seeking services for anxiety at Gallop NYC, who (based on the screener administered by GallopNYC) evidence symptoms of anxiety (as measured by a score of 2 or more on the GAD 2 item questionnaire) and a minimum functioning score of 51 (as measured by the child global assessment scale)

• Caregivers will also serve as study respondents. To do so, they must meet the following criteria:

• Primary caregiver/ legal guardian of a child who meets eligibility criteria

• Aged 18 years or older

• English speaking

Providers will serve as study therapists. To do so, they must meet the following criteria:

• PATH-certified provider employed at Gallop NYC

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to provide informed consent

• Child does not meet criteria for anxiety symptoms (as measured by a score of 2 or more on the GAD 2 item questionnaire) and/or does not meet minimum level of functioning (does not meet a minimum functioning score of 51 as measured by the child global assessment scale)

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Anxiety
• Anxiety Disorders

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Augmented equine-facilitated CBT group program
Consists of CBT strategies including 1) providing psychoeducation about anxiety, 2) teaching coping strategies when anxious,and 3) identifying and addressing dysfunctional thoughts that maintain anxiety.
• TAU is equine-facilitated group therapy
TAU is equine-facilitated group therapy at GallopNYC, which consists of horseback riding and integrates strategies to support the development of cognitive, physical, emotional, and social skills.

Other:
• WLC
WLC consists of youth who are not yet receiving any services at Gallop NYC.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	NYU Langone Health	New York	New York

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
NYU Langone Health

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Anxiety, as measured by the SCARED	41 item questionnaire scored on a 3-point Likert Scale ranging from "not true" to "very true." Items are summed, with higher scores indicating more anxiety symptoms (a cutoff of 25 indicates an anxiety disorder).	Baseline to 10 Weeks