Effectiveness of online group cognitive-behavior therapy for adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of online group cognitive-behavioral therapy (GCBT) guided by the CAMALEO TOC manual in treating of adolescents with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

METHOD: A quasi-experimental study with a single group pre-posttest intervention. Over 12 weeks 11 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years with OCD received weekly online sessions of GCBT based on CAMALEO TOC manual. The Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale was used to assess OCD symptoms severity, the Family accommodation scale for obsessive-compulsive disorder interviewer-rated for family accommodation, the Children's Depression Inventory to assess depression symptoms, the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale for anxiety, and the Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale to assess life satisfaction.

RESULTS: OCD symptoms decreased significantly (d = -1.55). A strong effect size (d = -1.03) was also found for family accommodation. No significant difference in OCD symptoms and family accommodation scores were found when controlling for differences between being in psychotherapeutic treatment, medication use, or psychiatric comorbidities. There was also no evidence that the intervention was effective in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety or improving quality of life.

CONCLUSION: We demonstrate the feasibility of a short-term online GCBT as an effective treatment for adolescents with OCD.