A group of investigators of the University of Bologna suggest a new way of approaching emotional disturbances in children by improving their psychological well-being. The study is published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
Anxiety, mood disorders and somatoform disorders are among the most prevalent forms of psychological suffering during childhood and adolescence. A specific psychotherapeutic strategy for enhancing well-being (well-being therapy; WBT) has been developed from the multidimensional model of psychological well-being by Ryff. The aim of this study was to apply a modified form of WBT to a child population of patients with mood, anxiety and conduct disorders, and to test its effects in reducing symptoms and in improving new skills and competencies in children.
Four male subjects, referred to a tertiary neuropsychiatric clinic, and aged from 8 to 11 years with different diagnoses according to DSM-IV criteria (1 oppositional-defiant disorder, 1 ADHD, 1 major depressive disorder and 1 generalized anxiety disorder; GAD) were enrolled in this study. The child with GAD also manifested comorbidity with a learning disorder (dyslexia). None of these children were receiving pharmacological treatment, but 2 of them had a special tutor for helping them in school activities (the one with dyslexia and the one with ADHD). Intake diagnoses were established by 2 clinical psychologists using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). WBT intervention was performed by 2 clinical psychologists. At the end of the WBT child intervention and at follow-up, each patient's clinical status was evaluated by the 2 clinical psychologists who established the intake diagnoses (and who were not involved in the treatment) using Kellner's global rating scale of improvement and again using the K-SADS-PL.