PROVIDENCE – Bradley Hospital’s Pediatric Anxiety Research Center has been awarded $11 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to study different methods of therapy for youths with anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The funding will support a study that compares three different methods of outpatient exposure based cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. It will focus on children and young adults ages 5 to 18 who are seeking treatment at partner community health centers across Rhode Island.
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“Over many years and many different studies, it has been our goal to take the work of PARC outside of primary hospital and academic settings,” said Jennifer Freeman, director of PARC at Bradley Hospital and professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University. “This funding will allow for meaningful partnership with numerous community health settings to expand high quality anxiety treatment for youth who have been historically underrepresented in clinical science and underserved in clinical practice.”
Even though CBT with exposure has proven as an effective treatment for anxiety disorders, access is limited – especially for those from historically marginalized backgrounds. Patients seeking traditional care models can also face challenges like finding transportation or child care, which exacerbates access barriers. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has shown potential in overcoming these barriers. However, there is not enough research to prove which methods are most effective for youths, PARC said.
This study is meant to fill that gap.
It will compare three approaches for outpatient exposure CBT: in-person, including office and home or community-based sessions, via telehealth and with a flexible model that is a combination of telehealth and in-person sessions.
All three treatment options include a team-based approach to care that’s meant to serve more patients and builds on past PARC research and clinical service innovations. Patients will meet with licensed clinicians monthly, but mainly work with non-licensed specially trained providers.
The study will recruit more than 500 patient and family participants and be conducted over 72 months. PARC expects the results of the study will increase equal access to care for all youths with anxiety, determine which treatment method works for which patients and set a service model that can be used across the country.
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
