Clinical outcome studies have established cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as
an efficacious treatment for children and adolescents presenting with a variety
of problems, such as anxiety and maladaptive behaviors. Findings to date are
also very promising for the use of CBT techniques with children and adolescents
who have chronic medical illnesses, including obesity, encopresis, severe and
persistent feeding problems, recurrent headache, recurrent abdominal pain and
acute procedural pain. This article provides an overview of
behavioral/cognitive-behavioral theory, intervention and the important role
outcome-based research plays in the development of this treatment modality. CBT
interventions utilized with various pediatric populations are described, and the
results of outcome-based research employing these techniques are examined. The
Chambless criteria are used to determine the efficacy of specific interventions
based upon the number, size and outcomes of studies utilizing CBT treatments
with pediatric populations. Case examples are included to further illustrate the
effectiveness of these interventions for children and adolescents with chronic
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