Cited by 443Child Abuse and TraumaChild Therapy and DevelopmentPosttraumatic Stress Disorder Research

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children: impact of the trauma narrative and treatment length

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Deblinger, Esther, Mannarino, Anthony P., Cohen, Judith A., Runyon, Melissa K., Steer, Robert A.·2011·Depression and Anxiety

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with the development of a variety of mental health disorders, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is an established treatment for children who have experienced CSA. However, there are questions about how many TF-CBT sessions should be delivered to achieve clinical efficacy and whether a trauma narrative (TN) component is essential. This study examined the differential effects of TF-CBT with or without the TN component in 8 versus 16 sessions. METHODS: Two hundred and ten children (aged 4-11 years) referred for CSA and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment conditions: 8 sessions with no TN, 8 sessions with TN, 16 sessions with no TN, and 16 sessions with TN. RESULTS: Mixed-model ANCOVAs demonstrated that significant posttreatment improvements had occurred with respect to 14 outcome measures across all conditions. Significant main and interactive effect differences were found across conditions with respect to specific outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: TF-CBT, regardless of the number of sessions or the inclusion of a TN component, was effective in improving participant symptomatology as well as parenting skills and the children's personal safety skills. The eight session condition that included the TN component seemed to be the most effective and efficient means of ameliorating parents' abuse-specific distress as well as children's abuse-related fear and general anxiety. On the other hand, parents assigned to the 16 session, no narrative condition reported greater increases in effective parenting practices and fewer externalizing child behavioral problems at posttreatment.

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  1. [12]Beck AT, Steer RA, Brown GK. Manual for Beck Depression Inventory (2nd ed.). San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation 1996.

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Authors
Deblinger, E., Mannarino, A. P., Cohen, J. A., Runyon, M. K., & Steer, R. A.
Affiliations
Allegheny General Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
Deblinger, Esther
Venue
Depression and Anxiety
Published
2010-09-09
Volume
28
Issue
1
Pages
67-75
ISSN
1091-4269 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2135162608
Cited by
443
References
27
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 72 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 18
FWCI
20.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Depression and Anxiety (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH064776, R01MH064635)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Therapy and Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Keywords
trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, child sexual abuse, trauma narratives, treatment duration, post-traumatic stress disorder, children, parenting skills, externalizing problems, treatment efficacy
MeSH terms
Child, Child Abuse, Sexual, Child, Preschool, Education, Family Therapy, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Personality Assessment, Personality Inventory, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Time Factors, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narration

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