Purpose: Adolescents and adults with Down syndrome are noted to display symptoms and behaviors consistent with a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. While evidenced-based interventions, including psychopharmacology and therapeutic interventions including exposure and response prevention, exist and effectively treat obsessive-compulsive…

Social anxiety disorder (SAD), a highly prevalent and impairing psychological condition in adolescents, is characterized by persistent fear of social and performance situations. Existing evidence suggests that racism and discrimination may heighten risk for SAD and present barriers to treatment in Black youth. Yet, intervention research on SAD in…

Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychopathologies in Western adolescents and have been on the rise in recent years. Not only does anxiety disrupt the daily lives of the young people who suffer from it, it can also have harmful behavioral, psychological, social, and academic effects. Given this, there is a pressing need to implement…

Background: Anxiety disorders in youth are among the most common psychiatric disorders, yet the majority of affected youth do not receive treatment. One approach to improving access to care is identification and intervention within the primary care setting. Objective: This manuscript presents data from a single group pre-post open trial of the…

Background: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) typically onsets in adolescence and is associated with multiple impairments. Despite promising clinical interventions, most socially anxious adolescents remain untreated. To address this clinical neglect, we developed a school-based, 12-week group intervention for youth with SAD, "Skills for Academic…

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the available research on the "Skills for Social and Academic Success" ("SASS") program, a school-based cognitive/behavioural intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder. A search of online databases, combined with reference list examination…

Adolescence is a time of biological, cognitive, and emotional change (Susman & Rogol, 2004). Teens begin to grapple with dating, post-high school planning, increased academic demands, and individuation from parents (Brown, 2004). The interaction of these changes may lead to a mood disorder, especially Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) (Patel,…

The developmental need to fit in may lead to higher alcohol and other drug use among socially anxious youths which exacerbates the drink/trouble cycle. In treatment, youths with social anxiety disorder (SAD) may avoid participating in therapeutic activities with risk of negative peer appraisal. Peer-helping is a low-intensity, social activity in…

Comorbid anxiety is common among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and parents of children with ASD are more likely to have anxiety disorders. This study investigated the relationship between parents' state and trait anxiety and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms among adolescents (n = 30) with ASD, as well…

Objective: Computerized cognitive behavioral interventions for anxiety disorders in adults have been shown to be efficacious, but limited data are available on the use of computerized interventions with young persons. Adolescents in particular are difficult to engage in treatment and may be especially suited to computerized technologies. This…

Left untreated, internalizing problems, such as a depressive or anxious mood, negative self-perceptions, and emotional distress, can undermine one's ability to succeed in school, live a healthy lifestyle, form and maintain close relationships with others, and, in general, accomplish life goals. When internalizing problems are experienced daily for…

Background: Anxiety disorders are often undetected and untreated in adolescents. This study evaluates the relative efficacy of a school-based, cognitive-behavioral intervention compared to an educational-supportive treatment for adolescents with social anxiety disorder. Methods: Thirty-six students (30 females), ages 14 to 16, were randomized to a…

Background: Research on children's emotional behaviour has been hampered by the lack of psychometric assessment scales. The present study reports on the construction and validation of a new self-report instrument to measure the emotional response styles of adolescents. Method: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out on the…