Group therapy may offer a promising solution to reducing patient waiting
lists for publicly funded mental health services. In this study, an individual brief
cognitive behavioral therapy (BCBT) intervention was adapted for implementation in a
group setting in the Spanish public mental health care system. The study was
designed to test initial clinical effectiveness, acceptability, and feasibility of
the group adaptation of BCBT for child anxiety. The study utilized an uncontrolled
multiple-group design for 8 weeks (1 h per week). Inclusion criteria were (i)
children and young adolescents between 8 and 15 years old, and (ii) a clinical
diagnosis of general anxiety disorder, social phobia, and/or separation anxiety
disorder. Five groups were completed (n = 33;
mean age = 11 years; 42.4% females). A total of 31 (93.9%) participants completed at
least 7 sessions, and follow-up data were collected for 84.9% (n = 28) of participants. Overall, anxiety symptoms were
reduced after intervention on the Spence Children Anxiety Scale, Generalized Anxiety
Disorder Questionnaire-IV, Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised, and Separation
Anxiety Symptom Inventory. Our findings suggest that group BCBT was associated with
beneficial treatment outcomes, was acceptable and feasible for children with anxiety
in the Spanish public mental health system. Both participants and their caregivers
reported satisfaction and feelings of safety with the intervention. Results
underscore the need for a larger-scale hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial of
BCBT in a group setting throughout more community mental health centers in different
Spanish states. Such work could improve patient access to and benefit from an
evidence-based treatment that works in community settings.
