Online parent-mediated family cognitive-behavioral therapy for high levels of anxiety symptoms in children with developmental disorders: a pilot study.

This article reports on a pilot study evaluating the efficacy of an online parent-mediated family cognitive-behavioral therapy (FCBT) program aimed at reducing high levels of anxiety symptoms in children with developmental disorders (CDDs) aged 6–12 years in Japan. The six-week intervention, delivered to 24 mothers, focused on improving parenting skills, maternal mental health, and child anxiety management through techniques such as breathing exercises, graded exposure, and positive parenting. Results indicated a significant reduction in negative parenting attitudes and stabilization or improvement of children's emotional problems, particularly social anxiety and depression symptoms, in the intervention group compared to controls; however, no significant changes were observed in maternal mental health or overall child anxiety scores. The study highlights the potential of parent-mediated FCBT as a treatment option for anxiety symptoms in CDDs but notes limitations including a small control group and suggests longer-term and larger-scale research to confirm these findings.