Premium
Group metacognitive therapy for adolescents with anxiety and depressive disorders: A pilot study
Author(s) -
Thorslund Johanna,
McEvoy Peter M.,
Anderson Rebecca A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22914
Subject(s) - anxiety , metacognition , psychology , clinical psychology , cognition , session (web analytics) , depressive symptoms , psychiatry , world wide web , computer science
Objective(s) The metacognitive model suggests that beliefs about cognition maintain repetitive negative thinking (RNT), a transdiagnostic process that underlies commonly comorbid, emotional disorders. To date, there has been the limited application of metacognitive therapy (MCT) to adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate a six‐session group transdiagnostic MCT program for adolescents with anxiety and/or depressive disorders. Method Participants ( N = 10; 3 male, 7 female; average age 15.2 years) completed measures of metacognition and RNT at assessment, baseline period, during treatment, and at 1‐ and 3‐month follow‐ups. Results Nine participants attended all six treatment sessions and one discontinued after four sessions. At posttreatment and follow‐ups, the majority of participants no longer met diagnostic criteria for anxiety or depressive disorders and evidenced a clinically significant or reliable change in metacognitions and RNT. Conclusions Results suggest that group MCT is promising in terms of acceptability and effectiveness for adolescents with anxiety and/or depressive disorders.