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A cognitive behavioral intervention for compulsive handwashing with a thirteen‐year‐old boy
Author(s) -
Ownby Raymond L.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6807(198304)20:2<219::aid-pits2310200215>3.0.co;2-h
Subject(s) - intervention (counseling) , cognition , psychology , clinical psychology , behavior change , cognitive restructuring , psychiatry , social psychology
Cognitive behavioral procedures have been shown to be effective in the treatment of adult obsessive‐compulsive disorders. This article presents a case of successful treatment of compulsive handwashing in a thirteen‐year‐old boy through a cognitive behavioral intervention, showing the potential efficacy of these procedures with children for this type of behavior problem. The principal cognitive intervention was thought‐stopping with which the child's obsessive ruminations were disrupted. Handwashing was reduced during treatment to fewer than six occurrences per day, and behavior change was maintained at follow‐up 6 and 18 months after the intervention ended.