Identifying Efficacious Treatment Components of Panic Control Treatment for Adolescents: A Preliminary Examination

ABSTRACT

Panic Control Treatment for Adolescents (PCT-A) is a developmentally sensitive and efficacious treatment for adolescents with panic disorder. The present study is a preliminary examination of the relative efficacy of individual treatment components in PCT-A in a sample of treatment completers; the study identified when rapid improvements in panic symptoms occurred over the course of treatment and which treatment components preceded these gains. Twenty-one adolescents (ages 13–17) completed weekly measures of panic-relevant symptoms, which were examined for between-session gains. Results indicate that psychoeducation may precede notable decreases in panic attacks while cognitive restructuring may contribute to rapid declines in overall anxiety and cognitive errors. The authors discuss the importance of future controlled dismantling studies to examine the relative contribution of PCT-A treatment components.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• panic disorder
• panic control treatment
• cognitive behavioral therapy
• sudden gains