A Randomized Trial of the Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Supportive Counseling for Anxiety Symptoms in Older Adults.
Barrowclough, Christine 1,2,4; King, Paul 1,2; Colville, Julie 1,2; Russell, Eve 2,3; Burns, Alistair 2,3; Tarrier, Nicholas 1,2
[Article] Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology. 69(5):756-762, October 2001.

(Format: HTML, PDF)

The authors used a randomized trial to compare cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and supportive counseling (SC) in the treatment of anxiety symptoms in older adults who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) criteria for anxiety disorders. Both conditions had a 6-week baseline no-treatment phase. Treatment was delivered primarily in patients' own homes and in an individual format. Outcomes were assessed at posttreatment and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. There was no spontaneous improvement during the baseline phase. Both groups showed improvement on anxiety measures following treatment, with a better outcome for the CBT group on self-rating of anxiety and depression. Over the follow-up period, the CBT group maintained improvement and had significantly greater improvement than the SC group on anxiety and 1 depression measure. Treatment response for anxiety was also superior for the CBT group, although there was no difference between groups in endstate functioning.

(C) 2001 by the American Psychological Association