Adapting Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Young Children with Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is currently the most prevalent, yet most under-researched anxiety disorder in childhood. To date, there have been few studies investigating the efficacy of interventions for young children with SAD. The primary purpose of this paper is to describe the process of tailoring Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for young children aged 4-8 with SAD. The paper provides a theoretical rationale for using PCIT to treat young children with SAD. The first randomized clinical trial for young children with SAD is then described. The paper focuses on the process of adapting PCIT to make it most relevant for children with SAD. The specific challenges and rewards of conducting PCIT with anxious children and their parents are presented. Over the past decade, there has been burgeoning interest in the study of the etiology, maintenance and effective treatment of anxiety disorders in childhood. Of the anxiety disorders experienced by children, separation anxiety disorder (SAD) has been shown to be the most prevalent, accounting for approximately one-half of the children seen for mental health treatment of anxiety disorders (Bell-Dolan, 1995). Despite the growing eviCorresponding Author: Donna B. Pincus, Ph.D., Director, Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program, Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University, 648 Beacon Street, 6'*̂ Floor, Boston, MA 02215, (617) 353-9610,