A Pilot Study of Modular Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnotherapy for Treating Anxiety in Iranian Girls

摘要

This study examined the effectiveness of two variations of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)-modular CBT and cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapy-in reducing anxiety in Iranian youth. In Study 1, the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) and Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) were translated into Persian and we examined the psychometric properties of their scores using 711 Iranian students. The RCADS and RCMAS anxiety scores evidenced good reliability, validity, and a well-fitting factor structure. In Study 2, we conducted a pilot study using a separate sample of 32 Iranian elementary students with clinically elevated anxiety to examine the effectiveness of two CBT treatment variants. Participants were randomized to one of three groups: modular CBT, cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapy, or a waitlist-control group. Results showed that both modular CBT and cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapy significantly reduced students' anxiety relative to waitlist. Depression symptoms also significantly reduced following both anxiety treatments. Implications regarding the effectiveness of CBT with diverse content across different settings and cultures are discussed.